Salem: 50-year-old ends life after killing 25-year-old ‘ladylove’

SALEM: A 50-year-old man, believed to be in love with a 25-year-old woman, committed suicide by hanging in an ice cream parlour after brutally killing her in broad daylight in the busy Salem railway junction area on Friday.

Police said, the ice cream parlour's owner one Pandiyarajan, on opening the shop this morning, had left to attend to some personal work after the lady assistant, Ms Sherene Chitrabhanu, who works for him reported for work.

On return after a few hours, Pandiyarajan was shocked to see the shutters downed from the inside and after attempts to open it were of no avail, he informed the Sooramangalam police station. Policemen came rushing to the ice cream parlour and lifted the shutters only to see a man and woman lying dead.

Police retrieved the bodies of the deceased, Inamullah, and of Ms Sherene and sent them for post-mortem to the Mohan Kumaramangalam government hospital in the steel town.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Inamullah and Sherene, both estranged from their respective spouses, had been in a friendly relationship for some time and Inamaullah is believed to have helped the woman on several occasions. As their friendship began to mature, Inamullah had reportedly proposed to Sherene and wanted to marry her. But Ms Sherene reportedly declined the proposal.

Early today, Inamullah had been to the ice cream parlour where Sherene was working and after a verbal exchange, he allegedly pulled out a knife and chopped off her neck. Sherene collapsed on the spot after which Inamullah downed the shop's shutters from the inside and also took away his life by hanging, police said. Police also recovered a handwritten letter of Inamullah in which he is believed to have said that he alone was responsible for both the murder and suicide.

The tragic incident sent shock waves across Salem. Further investigations are on.