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The Chennai police have cracked the case of murder a 45-year-old woman who was found stabbed and partially burnt inside her house at Choolaimedu on Thursday (January 8, 2026). They arrested the owner of a juice shop nearby in connection with the crime.
The victim, Amutha, 45, was the wife of Srinivasan, who runs a tea shop on Vinayagapuram 2nd Street. The couple had two sons, one studying medicine and the other engineering. The police said Amutha often helped her husband at the tea shop.
On Thursday morning, after Srinivasan left for work, Amutha finished her household chores and went to the tea shop. In the afternoon, Srinivasan returned home for lunch and later went back to work. He then asked Amutha to return home to eat.
A short while later, neighbours heard screams from the house. When they rushed in, they found Amutha dead with stab injuries and her body partially charred. The Choolaimedu police were alerted, and they rushed to the spot, recovered the body, and sent it to Kilpauk Medical College (KMC) Hospital for post-mortem examination.
A murder case was registered, and a detailed investigation was launched. The police identified the accused as Santhakumar, 28, of Anna Nagar West, who runs a juice shop near Srinivasan’s tea shop. Investigators said he followed Amutha to her house and committed the crime.
When police tried to apprehend him, Santhakumar attempted to escape by jumping from the second floor of a building and sustained a fracture in one leg. He was caught and admitted to KMC Government Hospital for treatment.
The police recovered Amutha’s gold earrings and ring from his possession. He was later produced before a magistrate court, remanded in judicial custody and lodged at Puzhal prison.
Published – January 10, 2026 03:06 pm IST
