Man kills mother in Arumbakkam

A 63-year-old woman was murdered by her son at their house in Arumbakkam early on Sunday.

Police said 40-year-old Amarnath had first slit the throat of his mother D. Sasikala before tying her up with a saree and setting her ablaze in an attempt to make it look like a suicide. Police said they were living in a thatched house on the terrace of a single-storey building in Duraisamy Colony.

Amarnath, who works as a call driver, returned from work under the influence of liquor and got into an argument with his mother. In a fit of rage, he assaulted her with a knife and slit her throat, police said.

“When he realised he had killed her, he set her on fire to make it look like a suicide,” police said.

On hearing a commotion, neighbours who lived on the ground floor rushed upstairs and noticed Amarnath besides his mother. They informed police and also called for an ambulance. Sasikala was rushed to Kilpauk Medical College Hospital for treatment, but succumbed to injuries soon.

“He told us that she attempted suicide. We have seen Amarnath assaulting his mother on several occasions,” said an emotional 55-year-old Zarina, who lives on the ground floor. “Her whole face was burnt and she was unable to move,” she said.

Amarnath was the eldest of three sons. “He was an alcoholic and was often frustrated that he could unmarried and broke into quarrel with his mother regarding that,” police added. Amarnath has been arrested for murder and remanded in custody, police added.