TIRUVANNAMALAI
A 35-year-old Dalit woman near Chengam town in Tiruvannamalai died of 85% burn injuries at Government Medical College Hospital in Chengalpattu on Wednesday after her husband’s family suspected her of stealing 39 sovereigns of gold jewellery.
An inquiry led by S. Rajkumar, Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO), Tiruvannamalai, has been initiated on the death of the woman as the victim was married only a year ago.
Police said the deceased victim has been identified as T. Yamuna, a native of Nagapattinam district. Initial inquiry revealed that S. Thennarasu, 42, a native of Sorpanandal village near Chengam town, was running a pharmacy in Chengam town. He has two married sisters, namely K. Vijaya (53) and B. Kumarai (50).
A few years ago, he got acquainted with Yamuna, a divorcee. They fell in love and got married in June 2024. Police said the couple lived in Thennarasu’s elder sister Vijaya’s house in Sathanur village as the latter lived with her daughter alone in the house. A month ago, Vijaya complained to her brother that her gold jewellery of 39 sovereigns was missing from the cupboard in the house.
Family members searched for the missing jewellery but they were unable to trace it. They lodged a complaint with Sathanur police. Police said Vijaya suspected that Yamuna stole the jewellery”.
Police said that the suspicion on Yamuna’s role in the theft intensified as the couple moved to Thennarasu’s second sister Kumari’s house in Sorpanandal village a week ago. On Tuesday (July 8), Kumari was making dinner for the family including the couple when Yamuna told her that she would go for a walk on the terrace.
Around 8 p.m., family members found her injured. Yamuna was rushed to Government Medical College Hospital in Tiruvannamalai town where doctors gave first aid and referred her to a similar government hospital in Chengalpattu where she succumbed to her injuries around 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
Based on a complaint by G. Dinakaran, Yamuna’s younger brother, a case was registered by Pachal police. The body was handed over to the victim’s family members after postmortem. A probe is underway.
(Assistance for those with suicidal thoughts is available in TN’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050).
Published – July 11, 2025 01:48 am IST
