CHENNAI: Police in Kadathur in Dharmapuri district have arrested a 41-year-old man for allegedly beating his partner, a home nurse, to death following a domestic dispute and burying her body in a vacant plot before covering it with garbage.
According to a Daily Thanthi report, Pappathiya (46), a native of Peruvangur in Kallakurichi district, was working as a home nurse when she became acquainted with Venkatachalam (41), a native of Maniyambadi in Kadathur, while both were employed in Coimbatore.
Though both were married to other people, they had been living together for the past six months at a house on Venkatasamy Street in Kadathur.
According to preliminary investigations, the couple frequently quarrelled over domestic issues.
A few days ago, another dispute reportedly escalated, during which Venkatachalam allegedly assaulted Pappathiya severely.
She sustained serious injuries and died due to excessive blood loss, police said.
Panicking after her death, Venkatachalam allegedly dug a pit in a nearby vacant plot, buried her body and covered the spot with garbage.
The incident came to light on Monday (October 12) when a foul smell began emanating from the garbage dump.
Suspicious about the source of the odour, local residents alerted the Kadathur police.
Police personnel rushed to the spot and, upon inspection, discovered a woman's body buried beneath the garbage.
They recovered the body and sent it to a government hospital for a post-mortem examination.
During the preliminary inquiry, police identified the deceased as Pappathiya and subsequently brought Venkatachalam in for questioning.
During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to the murder and burying her body.
Police arrested him in connection with the case and are investigating the circumstances leading to the killing.