Man held for strangling 70-year-old woman to death

CHENNAI: The Sunguvarchatram police on Thursday arrested Murugan, a load van driver, for the murder of Rani, a 70-year-old woman whose body was found last week in a bushy stretch off the ChennaiBengaluru NH near Sunguvarchathiram. Rani had gone missing after leaving home, and was found dead with injuries to her neck and face, prompting the Sunguvarchathiram police to launch an inquiry. CCTV footage from the area showed Murugan following her shortly before she disappeared, leading police to pick him up for questioning. Murugan admitted that he confronted Rani in an isolated spot, threw chilli powder into her eyes to immobilise her and strangled her. He then removed a gold ornament weighing six grams that she was wearing and pawned it at a shop in the Sunguvarchathiram bazaar to pay off debts, police said. Officers said Muruganwas under financial strain and targeted the woman for quick money. He has been arrested for murder and robbery and remanded in judicial custody.