CHENNAI: A man hacked his 29-year-old cousin to death at her house in Anakaputhur near Pallavaram in the wee hours of Wednesday, for refusing to marry him.
Reshma and her daughter lived in a rented house in Sathya Nagar in Anakaputhur, after separating from her husband Ashok, who lives in the same locality with their nine-year-old son.
Reshma's cousin, Viji alias Venkatesan (30), has been frequently visiting her to pressure her into marriage. Her constant refusal led to frequent arguments, and a similar altercation occurred around 10 pm on Tuesday. Before leaving, he threatened her that he would not let her live with anyone else.
The woman invited her friend Maria and her sister Jennifer to stay over for the night out of fear. Police said that around 3.30 am, Venkatesan returned to the house and knocked on the door. When the woman refused to open it, he reached through an open window and unlocked the door from inside.
After entering the house, he attacked the three women with pepper spray. Before they could react, he attacked Reshma with a knife multiple times, and she died on the spot. Venkatesan managed to escape from the house.
Maria and Jennifer alerted the police control room. The Shankar Nagar police rushed to the spot and sent the body for post-mortem to the Tambaram government hospital. The police have registered a case, and a search is on to nab Venkatesan, who is missing.