3 months on, woman’s husband, parents held for murdering her

CHENNAI: More than three months after a 24-year-old woman was presumed to have died by suicide, police on Thursday arrested her husband and the woman’s parents on murder charges and staging a suicide drama.

Fishing Harbour police had received information about the suicide of a young woman in her residence in Nagooran Thottam near Washermanpet.

On August 11, police retrieved the woman’s body and sent it for autopsy. The victim, S Sumithra, was living with her husband and two children.

Autopsy results showed that there were forced strangulation marks on her neck and head injuries.

Enquiries with the family revealed that the woman’s wife and her parents had murdered her after an argument.

Police said that Sumithra and her husband Selvam (35) had a love marriage seven years ago and Sumithra’s parents lived with the couple.

The woman’s husband suspected her fidelity and her parents too sided with her husband and questioned her often which led to arguments.

On August 11, after the verbal duel in the family escalated, Selvam hit her repeatedly and then strangulated her as her parents held her hands and legs, police said.

Fishing Harbour police arrested the woman’s husband Selvam and her parents Selvakumar (49) and Regina (45). All three of them were produced before a magistrate and remanded in custody.