A woman, who allegedly murdered her friend to rob her of valuables on Friday, was detained by the West division police on Sunday.
The body of Manimegalai (45) was found on a bed that had been set ablaze at her residence in Agrahara Layout on Friday. The victim had been poisoned and gold ornaments were missing from the house, said Magadi Road police. The police then set about reconstructing the crime scene, and on enquiring with neighbours found out that Vijayalakshmi (50) was the last person to have seen Manimegalai.
The police then picked up Vijayalakshmi, and she reportedly confessed to the crime during interrogation.
“Vijayalakshmi had laced Manimegalai’s cold drink with poison. After drinking it, Manimegalai fell on the ground, writhing in pain. Vijayalakshmi then gagged her to suppress her screams and then dumped her on the bed. She stole her gold jewellery, set the bed on fire and fled from the spot,” said a senior police officer.
The fire was doused by Elangovan, Manimegalai’s son who returned from college a few minutes later.
The police said Vijayalsakshmi, a widow, was beset with financial difficulties. She and Manimegalai were neighbours for 10 years before the latter shifted to a new house.
