CHENNAI: An 85-year-old woman with mental health issues was brutally murdered by her grandson in Minjur, Tiruvallur district, on Monday.

The deceased woman, Saraswathi, who frequently went missing due to her condition, was chained to a cot by her family to prevent her movement outside home. However, when her grandson Padmanaban (23) released her, she left home.

After tracing her, he brought her back and offered her breakfast. When she refused, he allegedly beat her up and attacked her with a hammer, resulting in her death, police investigations revealed.

Police said that Padmanaban is a history-sheeter with several cases filed against him. He was also an accused in a 2022 murder case involving a panchayat president. He was produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.