Denied money for liquor, Man kills grandmother and aunt

Madurai: Police in the Madurai district arrested a man accused of murdering his nonagenarian grandmother and her sister for not giving him money to booze. The culprit identified as A Muruganandam, aged 40 years, allegedly committed the crime under the influence of alcohol. He was sleeping when the police arrested him after his partner Muniammal alerted.

The victims have been identified as A Veerammal, 92, and her sister A Paripooranam, 90, from Sunnammbu Kalavasal on Theni Road in Usilampatti. As per the police, Muruganandam murdered the women by banging her head against a wall and strangulating them with a sari. Upon being alerted, a police team from the Usilampatti town police station rushed to the scene and arrested Muruganandam.

On the basis of a complaint from the Usilampatti village administrative officer, Vasumuthu, the Usilampatti town police registered a case under the IPC Section 302 - Punishment for Murder.

The culprit and victims lived in the same house. Muruganandam, a construction worker, was looking after them. The victims used to receive an old-age pension from the state government. He held a grudge against the duo for not sharing the money with him. He used to demand money for them to booze, which they denied. The police said, they also used to scold him.

On Wednesday night Muruganandam came home after consuming liquor, fought with them. First, he attacked Veerammal and then Paripooranam. Muniammal, who was not there at the house, when came home found them dead and alerted the police by dialling 100, police told.

The police said, in 1998 Muruganandam murdered a mason at a construction site under the Sellur police limit in the city of Madurai. He was convicted in the case in 2001 and spent 14 years in prison and was released only a few years back.

He was in a relationship with Muniammal, a construction labourer, after his release and has been living with her. Her two children stay in a hostel.