A 47-year-old woman, Kalaivani, was reportedly murdered for gain inside her house in Madhavaram on March 20 morning.
The police suspect the role of a newly-joined watchman, Rakesh, in the crime as he and his wife are missing. Jewellery and cash are reportedly missing from the house.
The police requested the public to get a verification from the police before appointing house helps and security personnel.
According to the police, Ravi, a financier in Sowcarpet, lived with his wife Kalaivani,47, in Thanikachalam Nagar, Madhavaram. Their son is pursuing his education in Pune. They had recently carried out painting work in their house and asked the painter, Babu, to recommend a watchman for the house.
Through Babu’s reference, Ravi appointed a man who identified himself as Rakesh, 30, from Karnataka as their watchman a few days ago. Rakesh, his wife Revathi and two children stayed in the house.
On March 20, when Ravi called his wife at 3.30 p.m. from work, she did not answer his calls. He then called Rakesh, but there was no answer from him either. Ravi saw the front door locked when he went home.He saw that Kalaivani was inside with her hands tied, through a window. With help from neighbours, he broke open the door and rushed his wife to a hospital, where she was declared dead.
R. Krishnaraj, Deputy Commissioner, Madhavaram, formed two special teams to investigate the incident. From CCTV footage, police found that Rakesh and his family had fled the spot around noon on March 21. Further investigation is on.
“We are not sure if the name and details given by the watchman are true. We are checking. They will be nabbed soon,” said a police officer.
Meanwhile, police said that residents should verify the details of house helps and security personnel they appoint. “This is crucial. They should get the Aadhar card of the employee verified at the nearest police station,” said Mr. Krishnaraj.
