CHENNAI: The murder of a 38-year-old woman in Guduvanchery took a new turn with police revealing details of what allegedly led to the killing, including her demand that the accused, with whom she was in a relationship, marry her after she became pregnant.
The dismembered body parts of the woman, identified as Hayathunnisha, a native of Odisha, were found packed in a red suitcase, with the head missing, in a rear coach of the Tamil Nadu Express at Agra railway station on August 5.
Hayathunnisha had married Jagur Khan, a Chennai native, in Odisha around 20 years ago. The couple later moved to Chennai and had a son, Yusuf Khan, 19. Following marital discord, the couple separated and Hayathunnisha lived with her son.
When Hayathunnisha later expressed her intention to marry Manikuddin Laskar, alias Rahul (22), Yusuf reportedly left home in anger and rented a separate house in Perungalathur. Hayathunnisha subsequently stayed at the house of Mohammed Rafi near the Guduvanchery mosque.
The investigation subsequently led police to Laskar from Assam, and his wife Bhagavathi Majhi, who were arrested in Manipur on August 30 and brought to Chennai for questioning.
Police said Hayathunnisha had been in a relationship with Laskar, who was married to Majhi. Majhi allegedly came to know about the relationship, leading to conflicts between the couple.
According to police, Majhi also allegedly obtained money and jewellery from Hayathunnisha on several occasions. Hayathunnisha later became pregnant and insisted that Laskar marry her. He allegedly refused, citing the age difference between them.
Police said Laskar and Majhi subsequently visited Hayathunnisha's house near the Guduvanchery mosque under the pretext of holding reconciliation talks. The couple allegedly stayed there for around two weeks before carrying out the murder.
According to the police, they had purchased knives generally used for slaughtering goats. Hayathunnisha was allegedly attacked while she was asleep at night. Police said an anaesthetic was sprayed on her face before her throat was slit.
The accused allegedly collected her blood in a large vessel used for cooking biryani before suspending the body from a ceiling fan, skinning it and dismembering it, police said. They also shaved her head and gouged out the eyes.
The remains were allegedly packed into bags and placed inside a trolley suitcase. The couple then transported the suitcase by electric train from Guduvanchery to Chennai Central, from where it was placed on the Tamil Nadu Express bound for Agra, police said.
After leaving the suitcase, the couple reportedly stayed at a relative's house in Chennai before fleeing to Manipur.
Police are now planning to take the accused to the alleged crime scene, Guduvanchery railway station and Chennai Central railway station as part of the investigation.