Elderly couple murdered at home near Avadi

CHENNAI :  An elderly couple living alone in the city’s outskirts near Avadi were found killed in their house on Tuesday. Police have recovered an iron rod with blood strains which the assailant is believed to have used to kill the couple when they were sleeping in their bedroom on Monday night. A servant recently hired by the couple, who used to stay in a portion of the house, was also missing on Tuesday. Police suspect he could have escaped with gold jewellery and cash from the house.

Jegadeesan, 68, and Vishalini, 61, both retired staff of a government press in Chennai, were staying in a secluded house at Ayyappa Main Road, Sekkadu, at Avadi. Jegadeesan had two sons from his first marriage, who would only occasionally visit the elderly couple.

The murder of the couple came to light around 8 am on Tuesday when Chandrasekar, a carpenter working in the house, reached the house and found something amiss when the couple were unusually not yet awake. “I opened the door and called them. Since no one came out, I went up to the hall and found blood. Since the servant was also missing, I grew very suspicious and phoned Jegadeesan’s younger brother Gopinath, who lives near by,” Chandrasekar told Express.

When Gopinath went inside the bedroom, he found the couple dead with blood spilled everywhere. An iron rod with blood stains was later found in the backyard by the police.“Things were found scattered in another bedroom and I realised that they were killed by someone who wanted to loot valuables from the house. The servant who recently joined work was also missing and his motorbike was also not there,” said Gopinath, who had informed police about the incident. A pet dog of the house was also found injured.