Letter solves 2015 murder for cops

CHENNAI: An anonymous letter helped the city police arrest a 40-year-old man for the murder of a senior citizen in Porur, a case that had remained unsolved for close to three years.
Investigators said the unnamed tipster described in the letter how he had overheard Arokiaselvam, a native of Tuticorin arrested on Sunday, blurt out while drunk in a Tasmac bar what appeared to be incriminating details of the May 28, 2015 murder of Glory, a 60-year-old woman. After receiving the tip, deputy commissioner of police, Ambattur, Sarvesh Raj, assigned a team headed by Ambattur Estate inspector Valli to probe the case; the team soon had Arokiaselvam, the prime suspect in the case, in custody.

“Three men gained entry into Glory’s house when she was alone at home by claiming that they would demonstrate a new water purifier. They tied her up and started to search for valuables,” an investigating officer said.

“Glory lived on the ground floor of a three-storey building in Lakshmi Nagar Extension, Porur,” the officer said.

“Her niece Sarala, who was outside drying grain in the compound, returned to the house and saw her aunt tied up. Then Glory cried out and the men strangled her, ” he added.

They gagged Sarala, too, took Glory’s 4 sovereign (32g) gold chain worth Rs 92,000 and fled the scene.

“Arokiaselvam, a taxi driver who was involved in an abduction and dowry case, learned that Glory lived alone,” the officer said. “After the murder, he quit driving a cab.”

The police had interrogated him about the murder in 2015 but let him off.

“When confronted with the letter, he admitted to the crime,” the officer said.