In yet another murder of a woman in the city, a 58-year old homemaker was gagged to death at her home in Porur on Thursday afternoon. The incident shocked the quiet locality in the western suburb. The victim’s valuables were taken by the suspects. Her niece, who was also tied up by the assailants, managed to escape.
Glory and her niece Shanthi (40) were living in a rented home in Lakshmi Nagar 3{+r}{+d}main road – where they had moved in a few months ago, city police said. “Around noon on Thursday, two men approached Shanti who was drying wheat outside the house. They identified themselves as representatives of a water purifier company and Shanthi asked them to speak to her aunt,” an investigating officer said.
But when Shanti went inside after a few minutes, she saw her aunt tied up and the two youngsters were searching the almirah. “They tied her up too, taped her mouth and even closed the main door. After this they fled the spot with valuables,” added the officer.
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Following this, it was her neighbours who came to the rescue. “I heard someone shouting for help around 1 p.m. A few of us broke open the main door and found she had managed to remove the tape from the mouth. We rescued her. By then police also reached the spot and Glory, who was lying on the floor in the bedroom, was rushed to the hospital,” said T. Nesamani, her neighbour.
A police sniffer dog that visited the scene of crime picked up a scent and went till Chinna Porur. “Shanthi says the two men looked like college students. We are trying to get some CCTV footage from the locality,” added the police officer. Residents of the locality were surprised that such a daring murder for gain took place on a busy stretch. “There have been a couple of chain snatching incidents in the locality. Our requests to Chennai Corporation to lay speed breakers, to deter thieves from speeding away after committing crimes, have fallen on deaf ears. Besides patrolling is not enough,” said Suresh Kumar, secretary of Lakshmi Nagar Extension residents welfare association.
“The police patrol teams advise us to close the doors. But due to the heat I sit outside. But from now on I will ensure that all doors are closed,” says Saroja, a senior citizen.
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