On 4 June 2025, a 19-year-old youth was taken into custody by the Arcot Town Police for sexually assaulting and murdering an 80-year-old woman in a village under the Arcot taluk of Ranipet district.
The accused, identified as S Nandakumar from Kathiyavadi village, reportedly entered the elderly woman’s residence in an intoxicated state around 5:30 PM on 3 June 2025. According to preliminary police investigations, the woman, who owned and operated a brick kiln in her mango grove, lived in a small house on the premises with her son, granddaughter, and great-grandchildren.
Police sources revealed that Nandakumar forcefully entered the house and is believed to have assaulted the woman. When she tried to escape, she fell and sustained injuries. He then dragged her out of the house. The sequence of events was captured by surveillance cameras installed at the property.
Later that evening, after returning with her children, the victim’s granddaughter checked the CCTV footage on her phone and was shocked to witness the incident. She immediately rushed to the house and found her grandmother severely injured. Police were alerted, and the woman was taken to the Government Medical College Hospital in Vellore, where she was declared brought dead.
A case was registered under Sections 64(1) (rape) and 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Investigators discovered that Nandakumar had been working as an electrician in the area for the past three years. During his visits, he became familiar with the woman’s residence and had been observed loitering nearby frequently.
To trace the accused, authorities reviewed CCTV footage from the area, including busy roads and key junctions. After cross-checking the suspect’s image with local residents, police were able to identify his native village. He was eventually located and apprehended near a hillock on 4th June evening. Nandakumar was formally arrested, and further investigation is ongoing.
(With inputs from The Hindu)
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