Woman gang-raped, killed near city

The deceased was identified as J Gomathi from Kaavithandalam village in Chengalpattu. She was married to Jayapaul (36), a farmer and the couple has two children.

The police said Gomathi used to collect firewood from the woods nearby to sell them in the village. On Thursday, Gomathi and relatives, Vasuki and Jayasheela, went to collect wood. Around 6.30 pm, Vasuki and Jayasheela returned home but Gomathi said she would return after collecting some more. When she failed to return till 8.30 pm, Jayapaul, Vasuki, and Jayasheela, along with other villagers, went in search of her. In the canal near a cemetery, they found her murdered with her throat slit. The police said that there were no clothes on her body.

On information, the Salavakkam police arrived at the spot and sent the body for post-mortem examination to Chengalpattu Government Hospital. The police believe Gomathi was raped by two or more men, and suspect that the crime could have been committed by people known to her.

The Salavakkam police have registered a case and further inquiry is on.

In another incident, a 45-year-old woman died after she was attacked by a group of men for not returning the borrowed money, near Pallikaranai on Thursday.

B Lakshmi from Mylai Balaji Nagar near Pallikaranai, a flower vendor, had borrowed Rs 20,000 from Prasanth six months ago. But she could not pay interest for the past two months. Prasanth asked her to pay the interest, but she reportedly did not respond.

On Thursday evening, Prasanth and two friends went to Lakshmi’s shop and asked her to return the money. She said she did not have the money and would repay him later. Angered by her response, they ransacked the store, and in the melee, she fell unconscious. Lakshmi was taken to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital where she died without responding to treatments on Friday morning.

However, the Pallikaranai police have registered a case of suspicious death, maintaining that Lakshmi was not attacked directly. She had some health problems, and could have died during the heated argument, the police said.