Woman stabbed to death at home in suspected robbery bid

CHENNAI: A 55-year-old woman was stabbed to death inside her home in Pazhaverkadu in Tiruvallur district, in a case of suspected murder for gain. Police sources said that about 15 sovereigns of gold jewellery were stolen from the house.

The victim was identified as R Vanaja, who lived with her husband, Radhakrishnan, near the old bus stand in Pazhaverkadu. Their children, a son and two daughters, are married and live separately, police said.

Radhakrishnan ran a provision store near their home while Vanaja sold idli batter from home. On Monday morning, Vanaja returned home after assisting her husband at the shop. Around noon, when Radhakrishnan came back and opened the locked house, he found Vanaja lying in a pool of blood with multiple stab wounds on her neck.

On hearing his cries, neighbours rushed to the house and alerted the authorities. Preliminary investigations have suggested that the intruders gained entry into the house on the pretext of buying batter and they attacked Vanaja, slit her throat with a knife, and robbed her of gold ornaments. The body was sent to Ponneri Government Hospital for post-mortem.

The police have registered a case and are perusing CCTV footage in the neighbourhood and have launched a search for the suspects.