The police on Monday arrested a 60-year-old man in connection with two cases of murder for gain, committed in 2015 and 2017 respectively.
The police made the breakthrough in the murder cases of Kalaivani and her mother Krishnaveni, after the accused, arrested by the police on charges of assaulting and robbing a Siddha doctor, on Sunday confessed to his involvement in both the cases.
According to the police, the first murder was reported in 2015.
The name of the accused was given as Arumugam, hailing from Chennai, who had settled down at his mother-in-law’s house at Arumarthapuram near here. Arumugam was a gambler and used to lead a lavish life and bet heavily on horse racing. He would take money from his mother-in-law’s sister Kalaivani in Muthialpet on a daily basis.
Doctor assaulted
On September 21, 2015, Arumugam went to Kalaivani’s house and demanded money for betting. When she refused, he attacked her with a kitchen knife and took away valuables in the house. Arumugam also allegedly murdered Kalaivani’s mother Krishnaveni on May 23, 2017 and took away 15 sovereigns of jewellery.
Senior Superintendent of Police Apoorva Gupta said that the breakthrough in the twin sensational murder cases came after Arumugam was arrested for assaulting and robbing a Siddha doctor in Arumarthapuram.
The accused, who was a regular patient of Dr. Tamilselvi, visited her clinic on Sunday and strangulated her using a cable wire and took away her jewellery.
When Dr. Tamilselvi regained consciousness, she alerted her neighbours who rushed her to Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (Jipmer).
The police arrested Arumugam based on the description given by the doctor. Preliminary investigations by the police revealed that he was involved in the twin murder cases.
The police also arrested Sathish, 34, of Karuvadikuppam who helped Arumugam in concealing the murders and in disposing of the stolen jewellery. The two were produced before a local court and remanded to judicial custody in the Central Prison.
