The police on Wednesday arrested the man who had couriered a parcel containing a bomb to a woman in Ariankuppam on Tuesday, which killed her.
Addressing a press conference, Senior Superintendent of Police (Law and Order) V.J. Chandiran said that the victim, Jyothi (27), succumbed to injuries on Tuesday night.
Elaborating the sequence of events that led to her death, Mr. Chandiran said the accused, Arunagiri (32) of Ariankuppam, was the employer of the victim, who worked in a candle manufacturing unit in the same locality.
For the last several months, Arunagiri had been pestering Jyothi to have a relationship with him. When the request was repeatedly turned down by Jyothi, who also threatened to complain to his wife, Arunagiri decided to kill her.
Mr. Chandiran said the accused conducted a dry run last week by sending a parcel addressed to her in a courier to ascertain if Jyothi was the one who collected all courier packages that come to her house.
On Tuesday, he sent a parcel containing an explosive made out of large quantity of cracker powder, which he obtained from a local cracker shop. The explosives also contained iron ball bearings that grievously injured the victim.
Following the incident, Mr. Chandiran said, courier services in the region have been advised to scan packages and check if the identity of the person sending it is genuine. They have also been asked to instal CCTV cameras in their offices, Mr. Chandiran said.
On the easy availability of such explosives in the market, he said the department has requested the licensing authorities to see if sale of such explosives could be restricted.
