Theatre owner charred to death

Police suspect that the fire could have been triggered due to a short-circuit in the AC. The deceased, Raman, was the owner of Ramarathna theatre in Avadi, who was living alone in a house in Veerapuram. His maid Banumathy noticed smoke billowing out of the house in the evening, but she could not get in as the door was locked. A fire tender from Avadi reached the spot and broke into the house. They found Raman dead in his bedroom on the ground floor, said a fire service officer.