Three youngsters, including a minor, were arrested on Friday, May 10, by the Tamil Nadu police for allegedly murdering a 58-year-old woman inside her home in Chennai. The arrested have been identified as M Dheena (21), R Vignesh (20), and a 17-year-old boy. They allegedly barged into their neighbour Ponni’s (58) house and killed her.

Speaking to TNM, police officials said, “The victim’s son-in-law, Ayyappan, called us at around 8 pm on Thursday [May 9]. By the time we went to the scene, the victim had already passed away.”

According to the police, Dheena and Vignesh used to visit the boy’s house when his parents were not around and drink alcohol. Vignesh was in a relationship with a girl in the neighbourhood and had brought her to the boy’s house recently.

Ponni, who was the neighbour of the 17-year-old boy, informed this to his parents. His parents chastised him for bringing his friends home. Meanwhile, Vignesh’s relationship had gone sour. This infuriated the trio, who decided to take revenge.

Ponni’s body was found by Ayyappan upon his return from work. He lodged a police complaint and a case was registered under section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Dheena and Vignesh were remanded to judicial custody and the boy was sent to a juvenile home.