Chennai: 4 kill woman moneylender, dump her body in well

CHENNAI: A four-member gang, including two women, murdered a woman money lender in Royapettah and dumped her body in a well in Madurantakam on Monday.

According to police, the victim, Alphonse Mary (42), a resident of Begum Sahib Fourth Street, Royapettah, had gone missing from July 15. Her husband Iruthaya Nathan lodged a missing complaint that she had left home for Marina beach to buy fish but never returned. Based on his complaint, the Icehouse police registered a missing case and launched a search for her.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday morning, the Madurantakam police received information that a woman's body was found floating in a roadside well in Silavettu near Kancheepuram on Chennai-Trichy National Highway.

Police arrived at the spot and fished the decomposed body from the well. A case was registered by Madurantakam police.

The police later identified it to the woman from Royapettah who went missing on July 15. The information was relayed to the family members and they were called for identification. Irudhaya Nathan confirmed the body to his wife and the body was sent to post-mortem.

The missing case was altered to murder by the Ice House police. A police team, headed by joint commissioner (East) R. Sudhakar, was formed to probe the case. The police found that apart from running an idli batter shop, Alphonse lent money on high interest rates to people.

The police who analysed CCTV footages found Alphonse Mary entering V M second street in Royapettah and didn't find her returning from there. Police grew suspicious and Valli (36) of VM street in Royapettah who had borrowed Rs. 20,000 from Alphonse. After hours of investigations, Valli confessed to having murdered the victim with the help of her neighbours.

Valli told the police that she had called up Alphonse on July 15 to come to her neighbour Devi's house to collect money. When Mary reached the spot, instead of returning the money,  Devi(32) her husband Mani(36), who had also borrowed Rs. 60,000 from the victim attacked and smothered her with a pillow.

The trio after murdering her took the help of a friend Suresh(34), an auto driver, a resident of Muthiya Street in Royapettah, to dispose of the body. They packed the body in a gunny bag and took it to Madurantakam in an autorickshaw where they dumped it in a roadside well.

Police said the accused removed her jewels before dumping the body in a well. The woman's gold chain and earrings were pawned by the accused. The four accused were taken into police custody.