Man gets life term for rape, murder of 85-year-old woman near Coimbatore
The Mahila Court in Coimbatore on Tuesday sentenced a man to undergo life imprisonment for murdering his 85yearold relative, after raping her at her residence near Anamalai in 2021.
Judge R. Nandhinidevi awarded the punishment to P. Ponnusamy (46), a resident of Ganapathipalayam, near Anamalai.
Ponnusamy, a farm worker by occupation, used to visit the victim at her residence near Anamalai. The elderly woman had been living with her daughter and soninlaw, both farm workers.
As per the prosecution, he visited the house after 6 p.m. on September 16, 2021 when the elderly woman’s daughter and soninlaw had gone to a relative’s house to milk cows.
Ponnusamy, who had consumed alcohol, found out that the elderly woman was alone. He raped her and smothered her while committing the offence.
As the woman’s daughter and soninlaw returned around 8 p.m., they saw her outside the house and vomiting. They gave her water and she died. Meanwhile, the soninlaw found a towel and a pair of sandals at the house, which did not belong to them, and raised suspicions about the death.
The Anamalai police, who initially registered a case of unnatural death, found out that the towel and sandals belonged to Ponnusamy and apprehended him the next day for questioning.
He confessed to have committed the crime under the influence of alcohol.
The doctor, who performed the postmortem opined that the deceased could have died of asphyxia due to smothering.
The police later altered the case for offences under Sections 376 A (punishment for causing death or resulting in persistent vegetative state of victim while committing an offence of rape) and 449 (housetrespass in order to commit offence punishable with death) of the Indian Penal Code.
The judge, after the trial, found Ponnusamy guilty and awarded him life imprisonment.
He was lodged in Coimbatore Central son.
Special Public Prosecutor B. Jisha appeared for the prosecution in the case.
During interrogation, the man had confessed to the police that he committed the crime under the influence of alcohol
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