CHENNAI: Chennai court has sentenced a 30-year-old man to life imprisonment after holding him guilty of the murder of his mother-in-law, following a family dispute, in MKB Nagar police limits in 2021.

R Balaji was living with his wife, Sudha, and two children in Madhavaram. Balaji, police said, was an alcoholic which led to frequent domestic disputes after which Sudha went to live with her parents in Vyasarpadi from December 2021.

On December 18, Balaji went to his in-laws' house and verbally abused his wife and returned the next day, repeating the same behaviour. When Sudha's mother, Latha came in support of her daughter, Balaji stabbed her with a knife and fled the scene.

Latha who was rushed to the Government Stanley Hospital, died without responding to treatment after which MKB Nagar police registered a case of murder and arrested Balaji.

After the trial, a city court held Balaji guilty of the charges against him and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The top brass of the city police appreciated the MKB Nagar police personnel for securing a conviction.