TIRUVANNAMALAI: A weaver in Tiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu murdered his two minor daughters on Tuesday by attacking them with a crowbar as he suspected the fidelity of his wife.
M Murugan, 38, of Rayampettai village also attacked his wife, M Devika, 27 with the crowbar when she attempted to save the children.
Devika suffered severe injuries on the head and is battling for life in Tiruvannamalai Government Medical College Hospital.
Police arrested Murugan who absconded after committing the crime. He was remanded in judicial custody on Wednesday.
Police said Murugan was rendered jobless due to the Covid-19 lockdown while Devika, a sanitary worker on contract in a government school, also lost her job. Devika took up a job at a hotel in Keezhpennathur to support the family.
The weaver was against his wife's decision to work in a hotel and wanted her to stop working. The couple used to quarrel frequently over the issue. Devika's attempts to convince him pointing out that she had to earn to support the family turned futile.
Murugan picked up an argument with Devika as soon as she reached home after work on Tuesday night. The argument erupted into a wordy duel and Murugan left home in a fit of rage.
He returned home around 10pm and found Devika and his two daughters - M Meena, 10 and M Shivani, 8, sleeping. He fetched a crowbar from the garden and brutally attacked Shivani on the head. The child sustained severe injuries and screamed in pain. She died on the spot.
Devika and Meena woke up hearing the child’s screams. The weaver attacked Meena on the head. When his wife attempted to save the child, he hit her on the head with the crowbar. The neighbours rushed to the rescue of the woman and children after hearing their screams for help.
The neighbours rushed Devika and Meena to Tiruvannamalai Government Medical College Hospital where the duty doctor proclaimed that the child was brought dead.
A police team led by superintendent of police S Aravind and assistant superintendent of police (Tiruvannamalai town) D V Kiran Shruthi reached the crime spot and made preliminary inquiries. The police team recovered the body of Shivani and sent it for postmortem.