Salem: Mentally ill kills mother, brother

SALEM: In a shocking incident, a mentally disturbed man, who was depressed over being unmarried, murdered his mother and brother by slitting their throats with a knife and attempted to kill himself over family issues in Vazhapadi in Salem district on Wednesday.

Police said Rajammal, 52, an office assistant at the Athur post office was living with her elder son Senthil, 35, at Nadupatti in Vazhapadi. While her husband Subramani passed away few years ago, her younger son Rajsekar, 32, and daughter Vijaya, got married and were living separately.

Police said Senthil, who remained unmarried due to his disability often picked quarrel with his family members over the issue. Around 7.30 am on Wednesday, Senthil told a woman engaged in farm work near his house that he had killed his mother and brother.

She immediately rushed into his house and found them lying dead in a pool of blood. As she raised an alarm, the public caught Senthil and handed him over to Vazhapadi police. A police team led by the SP, G. Subbulakshmi, DSP Somasundaram and inspector Umashanker visited the scene of crime and held enquiries.

The bodies of the deceased persons were sent for post-mortem at the government hospital in Salem. The SP Subbulakshmi told journalists that Senthil was depressed, as he remained unmarried though his brother had got married three years ago.

“He murdered his brother Rajsekar, who was fast asleep by slitting his throat. When his mother got into the house just then and shouted on seeing the gory incident, Senthil murdered her also. He then attempted suicide by hanging, but decided to slit his throat with the knife,” the SP said.

As Senthil suffered a cut injury on his neck, the police admitted him to the government hospital in Salem. Investigations revealed that Senthil was under treatment at the Kilpauk mental hospital in Chennai till two years ago.