Death of three members of a family in an AC blaze in Tindivanam has turned out to be a case of murder, with the police arresting two persons on Saturday.
K. Raji, 57, his wife Kala, 52, and son Gowtham, 24, of Kaveripakkam were charred to death in the fire in the house in the early hours of Wednesday.
The police have arrested Raji’s eldest son Govarthan and his wife Deepa Gayathri in connection with the case. Govarthan has reportedly confessed to the murder.
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The police said they grew suspicious when the smell of petrol emanated from the house and the multiple cuts that were found on Raji.
Superintendent of Police S. Jayakumar said that Govarthan had harboured ill-feeling against his family for a long time. Govarthan, a postgraduate, was working as a teacher in a private school for four years before he quit the job and started a tuition centre. However, he incurred losses and started a travel agency with two cars.
Raji and Kala had pampered their younger son Gowtham while Govarthan felt neglected.
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Wedding plans
“The parents’ attitude towards Govarthan created hatred and he developed aversion towards his family and he planned to eliminate them. The couple were making arrangements for Gowtham’s lavish wedding this month. This enraged Govarthan even more and he brought petrol and filled it in three beer bottles,” the Superintendent of Police said.
Explaining the sequence of events, Mr. Jayakumar said that on the day crime was committed, Raji and family went to bed after dinner.
The couple and Mr. Gowtham went to sleep in a bedroom.
The accused entered their bedroom early in the morning and threw a petrol bottle into the room and ignited it. He threw two other bottles into the living room. Raji, who came out of the bedroom, shouted for help when Govarthan attacked him with a sickle.
Investigators found traces of wick and petrol in the house. The charred body of Raji had multiple cuts on the head and this led to suspicion. The autopsy report confirmed that Raji died of wounds while the other two died in the blaze. There was no blast in the AC and this was confirmed by an AC mechanic, Mr. Jayakumar added.