CHENNAI: The Tiruvallur district police booked a Village Administrative Officer (VAO) for issuing a death certificate for a 50-year-old woman who was missing since 2021, but returned home recently.

The woman, Janaki alias Lakshmi, was living with her husband Ragu (55) and son Vignesh (24) and another son at a house in Elavur near Gummidipoondi before disappearing from their house in 2021.

Later, Ragu died due to health ailments a few years ago.

Lakshmi's son Vignesh approached the VAO of Aathupakkam, Raja, to issue a death certificate for his mother, who remained missing. The VAO conducted an enquiry and issued the death certificate. Using this, Vignesh transferred the ancestral property to his and his brother's name.

Meanwhile, Lakshmi returned to her house last year and found that Vignesh obtained her death certificate from the VAO and filed a complaint with the revenue authorities.

Tahsildar Rajendran conducted an inquiry and found that the VAO failed to follow the norms before issuing the death certificate to Vignesh. Apart from initiating departmental proceedings against the VAO, he filed a police complaint too.

Based on this, Gummidipoondi police booked the VAO and Vignesh, and have initiated investigations.