COIMBATORE: An elderly couple was hacked to death by their relative over personal enmity in Tirupur. The couple, Palanisamy (82) and his wife Parvatham (75), residing in their farmhouse at Unjapalayam near Avinashi, was found dead in a pool of blood on Thursday morning.

On receiving information, a police team led by Superintendent of Police Yadav Girish Ashok arrived and held an inquiry. A sniffer dog was pressed into service and fingerprint experts lifted chance prints from the scene of the crime. The bodies of the deceased were then sent for a post-mortem at the Avinashi Government Hospital.

Inquiries by police revealed that the couple had a dispute with their relative and neighbour Ramesh (43), who works in a textile firm.

“The couple objected to goats and hens reared by Ramesh frequently straying into their farm. A heated quarrel broke out between them over the same issue on Wednesday night,” police said.

In a fit of rage, Ramesh, who was in an inebriated condition, took a sickle from his house and hacked the couple to death.

On Thursday morning, around 8 am, Ramesh called up his parents to inform them that Palanisamy and Parvatham were lying dead. He threw away his blood-stained dress in a well of another nearby farm and attempted to escape from the spot in a two-wheeler.

However, he fell off the vehicle near Devarampalayam on Avinashi Bypass Road and was admitted to Avinashi Government Hospital for treatment. Police said Ramesh confessed to the crime and is still undergoing treatment for injuries under their supervision.

The couple is survived by son Velusamy (53) and two daughters; Kalaimani (43) and Gandhimathi (39). They all were married and settled elsewhere. The Avinashi police have registered a case of murder and further inquiries are on.