Chennai man arrested for assaulting mother, daughter; past grudge surfaces
The accused has been identified as James, son of Joseph, from Kamraj Salai, Alapakkam, who previously ran a grocery store named ‘Annai Stores’ in Krishna Nagar.
CHENNAI: A 42-year-old man was arrested on Thursday evening for allegedly assaulting a 50-year-old woman and her daughter at their residence in Alapakkam, Maduravoyal, in an attack, police say was motivated by a five-year-old grudge.
The accused has been identified as James, son of Joseph, from Kamraj Salai, Alapakkam, who previously ran a grocery store named ‘Annai Stores’ in Krishna Nagar.
According to the complaint filed at the Maduravoyal police station, the incident occurred around 4 pm Thursday. The complainant stated that James arrived at her home, knocked on the door, and upon her answering, forcibly entered carrying two chappals (sandals). He then proceeded to assault her with them.
Her cries for help alerted her daughter and their domestic help. When they tried to intervene, James allegedly turned on them as well. The commotion drew the attention of neighbours, Ezhumalai and Pandian, who rushed to the scene, restrained James, and alerted the police.
Police team arrived at the scene and escorted James to the police station. A formal complaint was subsequently registered by the woman and her daughter.
During the investigation, a surprising motive emerged. Police revealed that the assault appears to be linked to an incident from five years ago. The complainant stated that she used to shop at James’s grocery store. She alleged that James had behaved inappropriately with her back then, leading her to hit him with her chappal and stop visiting his store entirely.
James, during questioning, admitted to the assault and confirmed the old incident. He stated that the memory of being hit with a chappal five years ago had recently resurfaced in his mind, prompting him to retaliate in the same manner.
Police also disclosed that the accused, James, has a documented history of mental health issues. “Our inquiries reveal that James has been undergoing treatment for neurological and mental health problems since 2007 from doctors in Anna Nagar. He has been regularly consulting psychiatrists,” said the Investigating Officer of the case.
James was produced before the court and has been remanded to judicial custody. A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Woman Act.