Ragpicker who murdered wife held in Salem

The murder came to light on May 17, when a charred body of a woman was found below the Reddipatti Bridge near the Salem Junction, in Salem City. Since the victim could not be identified the police suspected that someone could have abducted and murdered her or killed her elsewhere and burnt the body there. Therefore, special teams were formed to investigate the case. Police identified the victim as Sumathi (38) and the accused as Rajini (40) who were both ragpickers.

According to the police, they were platform dwellers who had five children - four daughters and a son. Their eldest daughter was married and another two worked at Bengaluru. Their son worked as a cleaner in a theatre. Their 10-year-old youngest daughter stayed with the couple.

Police inquiry revealed that Rajini suspected that his wife had an affair with the owner of a house close to which they slept on the platform. It is learnt that he had warned her a couple of times but she had not paid heed to it. According to their 10-year-old daughter, the couple often had a fight on Tuesday night and were missing from the next morning. 

When the police went in search of the couple, they nabbed Rajini, based on the information provided by the girl. He confessed to have murdered his wife Sumathi. He was immediately booked for murder and for trying to destroy evidence. He was produced before the court and lodged in prison.