A tenant couple who allegedly killed a 62-year-old elderly house owner at Cherlopalli village was arrested by the police in Tirupati on Tuesday. Tirupati Superintendent of Police L Subbarayudu stated that the couple committed the crime to steal jewellery and cash to resolve their financial difficulties.
Incident Details
The victim, identified as T. Lokeswari, lived alone and was found dead at her home in Cherlopalli near Tirupati on May 2. Based on the injuries on the deceased's body, police suspected she may have been murdered by the tenants, Reddeppa and Mahalakshmi, who went missing after the elderly woman was discovered dead.
Investigation and Arrest
Special police teams were formed to investigate the case. They intercepted the couple near the Kallur cross when the accused were attempting to escape to Vijayawada to evade arrest. During interrogation, the accused confessed that they choked Lokeswari to death while she was asleep and then fled with Rs 50,000 in cash and some jewellery. However, the stolen jewellery was later found to be imitation, not made of gold.
Legal Proceedings
The accused were produced before the local court and sent to judicial remand on Tuesday. The Tirupati SP appealed to landowners to verify the credentials of their tenants before renting out their properties to prevent such incidents.
