26-yr-old youth held for double murder

A week after the murder of a 27- year-old woman and her paramour in their friend’s house at Arakkonam, the police have claimed to solve the murder case following the arrest of 26-year-old Rolstan Karunakaran of Viruthampet near Vellore. He is the cousin of Sharmila (26), who survived the murder attempt and was undergoing treatment in a private hospital in Vellore.

Fearing arrest, Rolstan surrendered before the Village Administrative Officer (VAO) of Arakkonam, Devan, in the early hours of Monday. He confessed before the VAO that he had murdered Asha of Arakkonam and Madhavaraj (21) of Pallur, police sources said.

Asha, mother of a three-year-old girl, her paramour Madavaraj and Sharmila of Agan Nagar were found in a pool of blood with cut injuries on their throat and head. .Asha died on the same day at a government hospital in Chennai while Madhavaraj succumbed to injuries on the next day.  Sharmila, who was admitted to a private hospital in Vellore, survived.

The murder case was challenging for the police to crack as there was no evidence and the sole survivor was not in a position to speak after she sustained a deep cut injury on her throat.

Arakkonam Deputy Superintendent of Police S Seetharaman said the investigation teams probed the case from various angles and concluded that illicit affair formed the motive behind the double murder.

The call log of Sharmila’s phone led to the detection of the case, said the DSP, adding, “We suspected Karunakaran as he contacted Sharmila frequently over the phone. We also confirmed that he came to Sharmila’s house on July 15.”

Further enquiry revealed that Sharmila and Karunakaran had an illicit affair for the past five years.

In his confession statement, Karunakaran said Sharmila was pestering him to marry her. However, he was engaged to another girl and was not willing to marry Sharmila.

She telephoned Karunakaran after her brother and father had gone to Chennai to look for an alliance for her. To put an end to Sharmila, Karunakaran went to her house and picked up a quarrel with her. Grabbing a sharp knife from the kitchen, he slit Sharmila’s throat.

Asha and Madavaraj, who were in bedroom, came out after hearing Sharmila’s cries. On seeing them, he also slit their throat. “Karunakaran threw the blood stained knife and clothes in a canal near Arakkonam Railway Station,” said the DSP quoting the confession statement.

Following this incident, the police registered a case against Karunakaran under Sections 302 and 307 of IPC and produced him before a court. He was remanded to judicial custody and sent to the Vellore Central Prison for Men.