Chennai: Three masked men strangled a 62-year-old woman and snatched her earrings after cutting them off near Tirukazhukundram in the early hours of Monday. Police are yet to trace or arrest any of them so far. The victim, Bhanumathi, a retired govt hospital employee, lived with her son and daughter-in-law at Irumbuliyur Krishna Street near Tirukazhukundram. Police said she was sleeping in the portico of the house while her son and daughter-in-law were asleep inside.According to investigators, around 3am, three unidentified persons entered the house. One of them attempted to snatch the earrings Bhanumathi was wearing. When she raised an alarm and resisted, the suspect strangled her with his bare hands.Hearing her screams, her son, daughter-in-law and neighbours rushed to the spot. However, before they could intervene, the suspects cut off her earrings, weighing two sovereigns and fled with the valuable. The family immediately rushed Bhanumathi to a nearby hospital, where the doctors declared her dead.Based on a complaint, Tirukazhukundram police registered a case. Investigators suspect the involvement of habitual offenders and believe the suspects may have targeted the woman after noticing that she regularly slept in the portico of the house.
