Man held for murder of a senior citizen in Gudiyatham

45-year-old man arrested for murdering 75-year-old woman over unpaid debt in Gudiyatham near Vellore.

A 45-year-old man was arrested by Gudiyatham Town police on Saturday for murdering a 75-year-old woman on the Bazaar Street in the town near Vellore nearly a month ago.

Police said the accused, S. Dharani, was a native of Pichanur village near Gudiyatham town. Initial inquiry revealed that Dharani had lent ₹1,000 to the victim, M. Chinnathai Ammal, a daily wage labourer, a few months back and was upset when she did not return the money. In a fit of rage, he killed her by dropping a huge stone on her head. He was arrested and later lodged at the Central Prison in Vellore.

Chinnathai Ammal, who was abandoned by her children, was killed on April 21. She was living on the streets by doing odd jobs like sweeping small shops on Bazaar Road in the town. After work, she used to sleep along with other homeless persons on the veranda of a wholesale rice shop on the stretch. Around 3.30 a.m, people sleeping alongside her were jolted awake by her cries when they saw her in a pool of blood. The CCTV footage, which went viral on social media, revealed a man carrying a huge stone and dropping it on the woman.