An elderly woman was found murdered and her jewellery stolen at her residence in the Nanjundapuram area of Coimbatore on Thursday, police said.
The deceased was identified as Kasthuri (42), whose husband Kutty had passed away earlier. She was living alone in her house, while her son Ramkutty, a doctor who runs a hospital in Pichanur, and her two daughters live nearby.
According to police, Ramkutty and his sisters regularly visited their mother and also spoke to her over the phone every morning. On Thursday morning, one of her daughters, who lives in TVS Nagar, tried calling her several times but received no response.
Growing suspicious, she asked a neighbour to check the house. When the neighbour entered the house, the door was found open and Kasthuri was lying inside with her hands and legs tied. She was found dead.
Ramanathapuram police rushed to the spot along with Deputy Commissioner Karthikeyan and Assistant Commissioner Vasantharaj. Preliminary inquiries revealed that a two-sovereign chain worn by Kasthuri was missing, while other jewellery remained intact.
Fingerprint experts and a sniffer dog squad examined the scene, and the body was sent for post-mortem.
Police suspect the involvement of someone known to the victim. Seven special teams have been formed to trace the accused. The woman from Nepal who was employed as a caretaker has been missing since morning and is being searched for in connection with the case.
