Two held for murder of 71-year-old woman

Chennai: Two men were arrested on Saturday in connection with the murder of a 71-year-old woman. SRMC police said the victim's tenant Ajay and his friend Yasser Arafat killed V Ganthimathi following an argument over house rent and staged her death to appear like a suicide.Ganthimathi, a resident of Porur, lived alone, and her son Prem Shankar lived in the adjacent portion of the same house. On April 23, he found her hanging in her house. Prem Shankar filed a complaint, prompting police to register a case of suspicious death. During their investigation, police found evidence at the scene indicating foul play. Ajay, who gave contradictory statements during questioning, was detained. Police learned that Ajay had constant disputes with Ganthimathi over three months of rent dues. Later, Ajay allegedly confessed to police that he, along with Yasser Arafat, had assaulted Ganthimathi during an argument over rent. After her death, they stole her three sovereigns of gold jewellery and hanged her body to make it appear as though she had died by suicide.Commissioner of police (Avadi) K Shankar, commended the swift actions of the investigating officers and their special team for solving the case and making the arrests. The two suspects were remanded in judicial custody.