Woman's ‘accidental fall’ turns out to be murder in Chennai, broken window helps police cracks case; husband, lover held

CHENNAI: A case initially reported as an accidental fall at a house in Perumbedu near Ponneri, which led to the death of M Kousalya, turned out to be murder, after a broken window helped police crack the plot. The victim's husband and his lover were arrested in connection with the crime. The deceased was a BEd student from Ponneri.

D Rajesh, 31, an interior designer, married her in an arranged ceremony in Aug last year. After the wedding, Kousalya continued her studies as usual. According to police, Rajesh was in a long-standing relationship with his distant relative, M Deepika, 21. His family strongly opposed the relationship, and arranged his marriage to Kousalya. However, Rajesh continued his relationship with Deepika even after the wedding.


Police said the duo conspired to eliminate Kousalya so they could live together. As relatives frequently visited the house, they waited for an opportunity when Kousalya was alone. On Friday evening, Kousalya had returned early from college, and there were no guests at home.

"Rajesh smothered her with a pillow and repeatedly banged her head against the wall, killing her on the spot. He then attempted to stage the murder as an accidental fall. He spilt oil on the floor to make it appear as though she slipped, placed her body there, and bolted the door from inside. To create the impression that he was outside, Rajesh exited the house by breaking a window," the police said.

"He then mingled casually with people in the neighbourhood to establish an alibi before returning home and raising an alarm, claiming his wife was not responding to his calls. Neighbours broke open the door and rushed Kousalya to the Ponneri govt Hospital, where doctors declared her dead," the police added.

Suspicion arose when Kousalya's mother, Revathi, noticed injuries and filed a complaint at Ponneri police station, seeking a probe. During inquiry, police noticed inconsistencies at the scene, particularly the broken window. Locals told police that the window was intact until the previous day. When questioned, Rajesh confessed to the murder and revealed Deepika's role in the conspiracy.