The accused allegedly took the couple’s two daughters with him after the attack, but police later rescued both girls. A 48-year-old woman was murdered and her husband and two children injured after a man allegedly broke into their house around 1 am on Friday in Mudalur village in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin district.
Police said the suspect was acquainted with the family, and they had objected to his communications with their daughter.
Police had earlier confirmed that he was well acquainted with the family and that they had objected to his communications with their daughter. A magistrate has recorded their dying declarations. The incident has triggered fresh criticism from the opposition over women’s safety in Tamil Nadu, with the state government facing questions over its response to crimes against women and children. Tuticorin MP and DMK parliamentary party leader MK Kanimozhi questioned the safety of women and children, saying they were vulnerable both at home and in public places. She also targeted the ruling TVK, asking whether the government’s failure to ensure women’s security was its reward to those who had voted for it.
The victim, Mary Vijila, was hacked to death, while her husband Muthukrishnan, 50, their son, 12, and their elder daughter, 15, sustained cut injuries. The accused, Gnana Prakash, 23, from Anandapuram in the district, was arrested by police within four hours of the incident. Tuticorin Superintendent of Police R Shiva Prasad told NDTV that the parents, who work as daily wagers, had objected to the accused’s relationship with their 15-year-old elder daughter.
Police said both the father and son are in critical condition and have been shifted to Tirunelveli Government Medical College Hospital. The girl had also severed ties with him and stopped speaking to him, the officer said, identifying this as the likely provocation behind the attack.
