COIMBATORE: Hoping to collect the payout from his insurance policies worth Rs 3.5crore, the wife of a powerloom unit owner in Erode district burned him alive with the help of a male accomplice on Thursday night, police said. The woman and her accomplice have been arrested.
K Rangaraj, 62, who was unable to walk after a road accident on March 13, was trapped inside his van when his wife R Jothimani, 57, and a relative, Raja, 41, poured petrol all over the vehicle and set it ablaze.
They had collected him from a private hospital at Coimbatore, where he was undergoing treatment after the accident, on the pretext of taking him home to Thudupathi near Perundurai in Erode district. When the vehicle reached Valasupalayam near Perumanallur in Tirupur district around 11.30pm, Raja who was driving stopped the vehicle. Raja and Jothimani got out and set fire to the vehicle. Rangaraj, unable to move on his own, was trapped inside and was burned alive.
Early on Friday morning, Raja informed Tirupur rural police about the death in an “accidental fire”. When they questioned Jothimani and Raja, the two gave contradictory statements, police said.
Suspecting foul play, police intensified their investigation. CCTV footage from a fuel station showed Raja had bought petrol in a can. Police said that under sustained interrogation, Raja confessed to the murder. When they confronted her, Jothimani too admitted to the crime, police said. Jothimani told the police that she wanted to collect the insurance payout as moneylenders kept pestering to repay loans Rangaraj had taken to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore. She paid Rs 50,000 as advance to Raja to assist her and promised him Rs 1 lakh more, police said. Perumanallur police registered a murder case against Jothimani and Raja and arrested them. Further investigation is on.