Teenager held for killing octogenarian after allegedly sexual assaulting her in Arcot

A 19-year-old boy was arrested by Arcot Town police on Wednesday for killing a 80-year-old woman after allegedly sexually assaulting her in a village in Ranipet. Police said the arrested person was identified as S. Nandakumar, a native of Kathiyavadi village that comes under Arcot taluk in Ranipet district.

Initial inquiry revealed that the octogenarian was running a brick kiln in her mango grove. She and her son were living along with her granddaughter and her children in a small house inside the grove.

Police said it was around 5.30 p.m on Tuesday when the suspect Nandakumar, who was said to be drunk, barged into the house. He allegedly sexually assaulted the woman. As she tried to flee, she fell down and got hurt. He then proceeded to drag outside the house. The entire incident was captured in CCTV cameras, which were fixed there.

Police said after picking up her children, the woman’s grand daughter checked her mobile phone and saw the CCTV footage. Immediately, she rushed to the house where she found her grandmother, badly injured.   Based on her alert, Arcot Town police rushed to the spot. She was shifted to Government Medical College Hospital in Vellore where doctors declared that she was dead on arrival. A case was registered under Section 64 (1) (commits rape) and 103 (1) (commits murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Police said during the investigation, using the CCTV footage, it was ascertained that the suspect was an electrician who used to do electrical repair works in the area for the past three years. During such visits to the area, he noticed the woman living alone in the grove. He used to loiter in the area regularly before returnning home, police added.

As part of investigation, police analysed CCTV footage in the area including busy stretches and key intersections. They checked captured image in the footage with locals. Based on locals inputs, police narrowed down the suspect’s native village where the police team secured him near a hillock on Wednesday evening, police said.

Police arrested him. A probe is underway.

Published - June 04, 2025 11:47 pm IST