Man arrested on charge of stealing at uncle’s house after poisoning him to death in Kancheepuram

Police said the suspect needed money for his engagement and hence he decided to steal the valuable from his uncle’s house

April 07, 2023 08:36 pm | Updated 08:36 pm IST - CHENNAI

Kancheepuram taluk police have arrested a 27-year-old man who allegedly stole cash and jewellery from his uncle’s house after poisoning the latter to death.

The victim was identified as Govindan, 72, a resident of Neeravalur village near Kancheepuram. He was staying alone at his house. Neighbours alerted his son after he did not come out one day, contrary to his usual practise. When they entered, they found Govindan dead inside the house. Initially, it was assumed to be a natural death.

However, when his son opened the steel cupboard and was looking for money for spending on funeral expenses, he found that close to 16 sovereigns of gold jewellery and ₹3.5 lakh in cash had been stolen. Later, it was reported to the police. The police nabbed Govindan’s nephew V. Baskar alias Basha, 27, who frequently visited his uncle. Investigations revealed that Baskar needed money for his engagement and decided to steal at Govindan’s house.

The police said on Thursday night that Bhaskar visited Govindan’s house with a liquor bottle. He had mixed it with an insecticide. He poured the drink for his uncle. When the victim started suffocating, Baskar had smothered him with a bedsheet. He then took the keys to the locker from under Govindan’s bed, took the valuables and left.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.