Life convict on parole, wife found dead in hotel near Dharmapuri

DHARMAPURI: A man serving a life sentence in a murder case, who was on parole, was found dead with his wife in a hotel room in Dharmapuri district on Monday.

The deceased have been identified as Ramesh Kumar, 42, of Mathikonpalayam and his wife Mahalakshmi, 37. They had two children, police said.

Police were looking into the possibility that Ramesh murdered his wife as he suspected her fidelity. Her body bore multiple injuries. After murdering her, he hanged himself.

Ramesh Kumar had been incarcerated in the Salem Central Prison for a murder he committed near Thoppur five years ago. He was granted parole on April 3.

On Sunday, he took Mahalakshmi, who worked in a private company, to a hotel in Kundalapatty. On Monday morning, hotel employees noticed that the door remained locked for long. They forced it open and found the couple dead.

Their bodies were sent to Dharmapuri Government Medical College and Hospital for postmortem.

The Mathikonpalayam police registered a case.