Two elderly persons killed in Coimbatore, Salem

COIMBATORE: Two elderly persons, a pastor’s 72-year-old mother and a 75-year-old man, were killed in separate incidents in Coimbatore and Salem on Wednesday.

In Coimbatore, Jessi Vincent, a pastor’s mother, who was living alone, was hacked to death at her residence in Karunya Nagar. One of her sons, Stanley, is a pastor.

According to the police, Jessi Vincent had frequent disputes with her neighbour, 47-year-old Noble Watson Thangadurai, over the issue of garbage disposal. A fresh argument between them escalated on Wednesday morning, when the accused allegedly attacked her with a sickle. She collapsed and died on the spot.

On receiving information, the Karunya Nagar police rushed to the scene, recovered the body and sent it to the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem. The accused was later arrested, and the weapon used in the crime was seized. Police said both the victim and the accused were natives of Kanniyakumari district who had been residing in Coimbatore for several years.

In a separate incident in Salem, a 75-year-old man was allegedly killed by his son in a dispute over ancestral property. Police said the accused, identified as D Sridhar, who works at a vegetable shop, had been repeatedly demanding that his father, Dhanapal, transfer a piece of ancestral land in his name. The victim, a resident of Kitchipalayam, had refused the request, leading to frequent quarrels within the family.

On Wednesday afternoon, Sridhar visited his father’s residence and again raised the issue. When Dhanapal declined, an argument broke out, during which the accused allegedly attacked him with a knife. The elderly man died on the spot due to severe injuries.

The villagers caught the accused when he attempted to flee and handed him over to the Kitchipalayam Police. The body was sent to the Salem Government Medical College Hospital for post-mortem. Police have registered cases in both incidents and are continuing investigations.