Woman’s limbs in dump yard: Hubby held

More than two weeks after severed limbs of a woman were found in the Perungudi dump yard, the police identified her as Sandhya (34) and arrested her husband Balakrishnan (51), an assistant director, for murdering her on January 19.

On Wednesday morning, the police also recovered the hip and thighs that were disposed on the Adyar river bed.

The police said that Balakrishnan, a native of Thoothukudi, was staying on Gandhi Street in Jafferkhanpet. He married Sandhya from Kanniyakumari in 2002. The couple has a son and a daughter, aged 17 and 11. Both of them are studying in Thoothukudi. During interrogation, the police found that Balakrishnan murdered her suspecting her fidelity.

After disposing her body, Balakrishnan also filed a complaint with the Thoothukudi police that his wife, who visited the town, had gone missing. He also suspected that her parents in Kanniyakumari were behind it.

When the police inquired Sandhya’s mother, she was unaware of the incident and told police that her daughter was with her husband in Chennai. Following this, the police showed the severed limbs to Sandhya’s parents and they confirmed that they belonged to her daughter. However, her parents did not know about the tattoos.

When confronted by the police, Balakrishnan confessed to the crime. As the police has not yet traced the head of the body, investigators are planning to conduct a DNA test of the body parts that were found and compare it with Sandhya’s parents.

After preliminary inquiry, the police said that Sandhya and Balakrishnan were living in Thoothukudi after their marriage. Balakrishnan was the district secretary of the PMK in 2006. Sandhya had contested for the post of councillor and lost. A few years ago, the couple came to Chennai. They together directed a movie, Kaadhal Illavasam, which failed at the box office.

The couple shifted to the house in Jafferkhanpet a year ago. They used to frequently fight as Balakrishnan suspected Sandhya’s fidelity. Following this, Sandhya filed for divorce in a court at Thoothukudi and started living in a hostel in Saidapet.

Sandhya visited her parents during Christmas and got Rs 75,000. On January 18, Balakrishnan convinced Sandhya to come to his house in Jafferkhanpet to explore the possibility of living together again. 

A quarrel broke out between them on January 19 and Balakrishnan hit her with a hammer. After she became unconscious, she strangulated her. He then chopped her body into seven pieces using a sharp fish knife and disposed them in various places in the city.

He also contacted Sandhya’s sister and informed that he is planning to send his wife abroad and has made arrangements for it. According to Sandhya’s sister, Balakrishnan had forced Sandhya to tonsure her head. The police are further interrogating Balakrishnan.

The right hand inked with dragon, Sivan and Parvathi tattoos, and the two legs were found in the Perungudi dump yard on January 21. One of the legs has the mark of a toe ring (metti) which was removed. After confirming it belonged to a woman, the Pallikarani police formed a special team to identify the body.

Horrified to learn that the body parts found in Chennai were that of their relative Sandhya, her family members in Kanniyakumari sought stringent punishment for Balakrishnan. However, his brother maintained that Balakrishnan was innocent and urged police to conduct a thorough investigation. Speaking to the media, Sandhya’s aunt Rani and another relative alleged that after using his affluence and political connection to forcefully marry Sandhya when she was only 16, Balakrishnan used to quarrel with her suspecting her fidelity right from the initial days. But his brother Kamaraj said it was unlikely that Balakrishnan, who left their native Thoothukudi only a week ago, was involved in the crime. Police sources from Thoothukudi said Sandhya lodged a complaint with the all-women police in November against her husband, who allegedly suspected her fidelity. After making entry in the Community Service Register (CSR), her parents were apprised of the situation, sources said.

1. On January 19, following yet another fight that erupted between Sandhya and her husband Balakrishnan, he hit her with a hammer. After she fell unconscious, he strangulated her

2. After ensuring that she was dead, Balakrishnan decided to dispose of her body. Using a sharp fish knife, he cut her body into seven pieces. They were then packed into bags

3. He then carried the bags on his bike and dumped them at different places. The bag containing two legs cut from the knees and a hand were taken to Perungudi dump yard from Valluvar Kottam

4. Balakrishnan then filed a missing complaint with Thoothukudi police, alleging that her parents could be behind it. The case was cracked after information about woman missing case reached Chennai police