Royapettah man murders wife, three girls

Earlier, Royapettah police recovered the decomposed bodies of four women from a first floor house at Muthu Street, Royapettah in the early hours of Friday, based on the landlord’s complaint of foul smell emanating from the house. Police soon arrested Chinnaraj (35), a sweet maker, for murdering his wife Pandiammal (36) and her daughters Pavithra (19), Parimala (18) and Sneha (16). 

According to the police, Chinnaraj fell in love with Pandiammal at a bakery in Palani in 2011, and brought her and her three daughters to Chennai in 2012. The family had been living at a rented house in Royapettah. Although a happy family, neighbours said the couple was heard quarrelling frequently in recent days, and he often slept outside the bedroom. 

On Monday night, the couple had another fight. In the early hours of Tuesday Chinnaraj said he went into Pandiammal’s room, hit her with an iron rod and killed her. Similarly, he killed the two older daughters and used the flex of a clothes’ iron, killing the youngest daughter.  He had remained in the house with the dead bodies for two days, using room spray to counter the smell. 

However, when the stench became unbearable and on being questioned by the landlord on same, he fled the house. However, police nabbed him by tracking his parked two wheeler near the Marina. When he came to fetch it, police  nabbed him.