Slow poisoning: Victim’s sister held

In January 2018, the couple, Dharmalingam and Meenakshi, died within a gap of one week raising suspicion among his relatives. It took the Mylapore police to six months of investigation into the alleged case of slow poisoning to make the first arrest in the case. The team from the local police arrested Meenakshi’s younger sister Mythili, her husband, son and a male friend in this connection.

However, Dharmalingam’s bother approached the court alleging that the mastermind behind the murder was Meenakshi’s elder sister Latha. After the court directed the CB-CID to take up the investigation into the case, sleuths found that Latha had planned to eliminate the couple.

According to officials, the deceased couple was involved in flower business, and had managed to accumulate assets over the years. But as they were childless, the sisters were hoping to usurp the assets and take over the business.

Sources said the sisters began to administer poison to the couple in small doses since May 2017 by giving them a diet that was different from what was prescribed by the doctors who were treating the couple.