A 30-year-old man was arrested for the murder of a 36-year-old woman at her home in Muthamil Nagar in Kodungaiyur on Tuesday. A statement given by the woman’s daughter helped the police zero in on the suspect.
The 10-year-old daughter of the victim S. Pushpalatha told police that K. Ramakrishnan (also known as Ramu), a tailor by profession and a resident of Red Hills, used to visit their house frequently especially when her father, K. Srinivasan, who works as a loadman at a timber depot in Mint, was away.
Pushpalatha and Ramakrishnan worked in the same garments company in Red Hills until the unit was closed ten months ago. After the closure, Ramakrishan opened a shop on Erunkancheri High Road in MKB Nagar and was working as a tailor, while Pushpalatha was working as a tailor in a private garment shop in MKB Nagar.
On Tuesday, a few neighbours saw Ramakrishnan entering Pushpalatha’s home soon after a LPG gas cylinder was delivered at the house. Suspicion grew after Ramakrishnan failed to return to his home in Red Hills on Tuesday night.
The signal on Ramakrishnan’s phone was tracked to Periyapalayam, where he was arrested on Wednesday night. A case has been registered under section 302 (murder) of the IPC.
“We suspect it was a murder for gain as the victim’s neck chain, weighing five sovereigns, was missing. Ramakrishnan was facing immense financial pressure after he shut his shop in MKB Nagar a month ago as he was unable to pay the monthly rental for it,” said a police officer.
