Kancheepuram trio awarded six life sentences for 2016 double murder
Thenmozhi (35), a private school teacher, lived with her daughters, Surabhisree (7) and infant Gunasree, and her mother, Vasantha (60), in Kundrathur as her husband worked in Yemen
CHENNAI: Nearly a decade after the alarming murder of a woman and her daughter and an attempt to murder her granddaughter, the Kancheepuram District Principal Sessions Court, on Thursday, sentenced two women and a man to six life imprisonments each.
Thenmozhi (35), a private school teacher, lived with her daughters, Surabhisree (7) and infant Gunasree, and her mother, Vasantha (60), in Kundrathur as her husband worked in Yemen. On April 18, 2016, Vasantha and Thenmozhi were murdered at their home, and Surabhisree was found injured with a deep cut on her neck.
After investigations, the police arrested Sathya (30), who had earlier done domestic work in the house along with her friend Tawlat Begum (45) and their associate Jayakumar (50). The two women had become familiar with the family during the 2015 Chennai floods, when they helped clean the house after water entered the premises. Over time, they learned that the family had gold and cash at home and that no men were present during the day.
On the day of the murder, Sathya and Tawlat visited the house when Vasantha was alone at home. Suspecting something unusual, Vasantha phoned Thenmozhi and asked her to come home from school. By then, Jayakumar entered the house and attacked Vasantha, stabbing and slitting her throat before stealing jewellery and cash.
The trio waited for Thenmozhi to return home and murdered her, taking the jewellery she was wearing. When young Surabhisree cried, they attempted to kill her too by strangling and slashing her neck. Believing she had died, they fled with the stolen valuables.
After years of hearings, the court delivered its verdict on Thursday. A judge awarded all three accused six life sentences each, along with a fine of Rs 80,000 each, as compensation to the surviving children.
The court further noted that the surviving child had suffered severe psychological trauma and directed the Tamil Nadu government to provide relief assistance.
The situation grew even more dramatic as the trio expressed no remorse, and Sathya appeared well-groomed, with trimmed eyebrows and lipstick, unlike the typical appearance of long-term inmates, surprising even the lawyers present.