Youth held for murder in Tirupattur

A 24-year-old youth was arrested by Vaniyambadi Taluk police in Tirupattur on Tuesday for murdering an elderly woman after robbing her gold jewellery, including earrings and bangles.

The arrested person was identified as S. Murugan, a native of Bethakallupatti village near Vaniyambadi town. Initial inquiry revealed that Murugan was unemployed for the past few months and had incurred debt after borrowing from his friends and relatives. He had also taken loan from online apps.

Police said that in order to clear his debts, Murugan hatched a plan to steal gold jewellery from locked houses. He had also noticed that the victim, N. Pounammal, 65, a native of Bethakallupatti village, was living alone in a hut and was wearing gold ornaments.

After a few of his house break-in attempts failed, police said Murugan decided to rob the elderly woman. On January 6, Murugan told the police that he tried to steal gold jewellery from her but she resisted his bid. In a fit of rage, he reportedly hit her with a stone following which she collapsed on the floor.

Subsequently, Superintendent of Police (SP) V. Shyamala Devi inspected the house on being alerted by the locals. Forensic experts took fingerprints from the spot. Sniffer dogs were roped in to get clues.

Police said based on CCTV footage on the route and inquiry with the local residents, including pawn brokers about pledging of gold jewellery, the teams were able to narrow down on the suspect. A case was registered. The accused was lodged at sub-jail in Tirupattur town.