Woman living alone murdered by auto driver in Tiruvallur

CHENNAI: A 55-year-old woman living alone in Uthukottai in Tiruvallur district was murdered on Friday by a 25-year-old youth who had been helping her with household work for years. Police said the accused, S Venkatesan, an auto driver and ITI graduate from the same locality, was arrested on Saturday from Koyambedu. The deceased, S Saraswathi, a resident of Choolaimeni in Uthukottai taluk, lived in a single-storey independent house while her two sons worked in Chennai. Venkatesan, whose mother is a daily-wage worker, had known Saraswathi for several years, police said. According to investigators, Venkatesan had been asking Saraswathi for money to buy an autorickshaw. Saraswathi had refused his requests repeatedly. Around 10 am on Friday, Venkatesan went to the house with a long iron rod and struck her twice on the back of the head, killing her on the spot, police said.