Brothers held for murder of woman admit to another killing

CHENNAI: When the Chengalpet police on Monday arrested three men, including two brothers, for the October 7 murder of a 70-year-old woman, they didn’t know the accused would admit to the May 12 murder of a Tasmac employee.
A court sent the arrested Senthil, 34, his friend Kalaivanan, 33, and Senthil’s elder brother Vadivel, 39, to jail and police are looking for their friend Shanthavel.Stolen gold jewellery worth 1.2lakh was recovered.
A team led by Chengalpet town deputy superintendent of police Mathivananan and inspector Rukmangathan nabbed Senthil and Kalaivanan during a vehicle check and soon caught Vadivel.
The gang members, police said, worked as lorry loadmen, house painters and farmhands in Chengalpet and Chennai’s Porur area.
While working on a farm owned by S Jotheeshwari, 70, and her husband Shanmugasundaram, 80, who lived by themselves at Williampet near Chengalpet that they decided to loot the house. On October 7, they sneaked in through a window and were opening a cupboard when Jotheeshwari woke up. They murdered her and escaped with 15 sovereigns of gold jewellery from her person. Shanmugasundaram was sleeping in another room and noticed his wife’s body the next day.
The arrested men said on May 12 they killed Raj Kumar, 28, an employee of a Tasmac outlet, because he refused to give them free drinks. Raj Kumar had earlier given them several free drinks as ‘protection’ as he was selling liquor illegally outside the Tasmac bar but said no more free booze.
“Senthil and Vadivel were involved in many robbery, theft and burglary cases and were arrested in Chengalpet, Guduvancherry and Tambaram,” a police officer said.