CHENNAI: A 40-year-old woman has been arrested for allegedly hiring a gang to assault her estranged husband after he refused to send their 11-year-old son to live with her.
According to a Daily Thanthi report, the woman, identified as Vasantha, allegedly paid Rs 3.5 lakh to a history sheeter to arrange the attack on her husband, Damodharan (42), a resident of Vengambakkam near Tambaram. The police claimed she had instructed the assailants to spare his life and only break his leg.
Vasantha and Damodharan were married 12 years ago and have a son, Kavitharan. The couple had separated six years ago, following which Vasantha remarried an autorickshaw driver and moved to Orathur, while her son continued to live with Damodharan.
Police said Vasantha had been seeking custody of the boy for nearly a year, but Damodharan allegedly refused to send him with her.
On April 19, Damodharan received a phone call from an unidentified person claiming that a parcel had arrived for him and asked for his address. When he stepped outside his house, two men on a motorcycle allegedly pushed him to the ground and repeatedly struck his right leg with a steel baseball bat before fleeing.
The attack left Damodharan with a fractured leg, and he was admitted to the Tambaram Government Hospital for treatment.
Based on a complaint, the Peerkankaranai police launched an investigation. Tracking the registration number of the motorcycle used in the crime, police identified and later arrested Bharath (19) and Agustin (19) for carrying out the assault.
During interrogation, the duo allegedly revealed that they had been hired by Ponmani (32), a history sheeter from Kilpauk. Further questioning of Ponmani led investigators to Vasantha, who was accused of masterminding the attack.
Police said Vasantha had initially negotiated a deal worth Rs 4 lakh and paid Rs 3.5 lakh to ensure that her husband’s legs were broken but without causing fatal injuries.
Vasantha and Ponmani have since been arrested, while the CCTV footage showing the assault has surfaced on social media and is being widely shared.