Man held for murdering woman from Andhra near Uthukottai

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

A 46-year-old man was arrested on Saturday in connection with the murder of a woman from Andhra Pradesh, whose body was found near an agricultural field in Uthukottai of Tiruvallur district.

The accused, S. Bharathi Raja of Othattur Kandigai in Tiruvallur, was arrested near Periyapalayam on Saturday morning. The deceased, Aruna, 45, a resident of Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh, had come to Uthukottai to attend a marriage.

According to the police, Bharathi Raja and Aruna were in a relationship. However, he recently began avoiding her, leading to frequent arguments between the two. Aruna allegedly repeatedly contacted him, seeking an explanation for his behaviour.

On Friday, after Aruna allegedly made several calls to him, Bharathi Raja agreed to meet her near Uthukottai. He took her to an agricultural field, where he allegedly attacked her with an iron rod and punched her in the face, leaving her unconscious, the police said.

They suspect that the accused subsequently poured a lubricant for motor repairs on her face and set her on fire. Her body was later found near the agricultural field with burn-like injuries. Initial reports suggested that she was attacked with acid. However, the police said a preliminary examination refuted this, as the injuries were not typical of acid burns.

The police are awaiting the post-mortem and forensic examination reports to ascertain the exact cause and manner of death.

A murder case has been registered and further investigation is under way.

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.