Chennai: Woman's severed body dumped in suitcase near IT corridor, one arrested

A woman's body was found in a suitcase in Chennai, leading to a murder investigation. The victim was identified as Deepa, and the suspect, Manikandan, was apprehended. He confessed to killing her after a dispute over money.

A body of a woman was found in a suitcase dumped in Chennai this morning, police said. The police believe she was murdered somewhere, and the luggage was dropped in a residential neighbourhood near the IT Corridor in Thoraipakkam. "We have been working on it since the early morning. We suspect the crime occurred somewhere else and the body was dumped here," a police official said.

Police have solved the case by arresting a man named Manikandan from Sivaganga district. Preliminary inquiries revealed that the woman was named Deepa alias Vellaiammal, 32, from Madhavaram. During questioning, Manikandan informed police that he murdered her with a hammer after a disagreement arose over her desire for more money from him. Later he severed her body parts and dumped it in a suitcase and escaped.

Deepa's brother tried to call her phone, but it was switched off because she hadn't returned home. Afterwards, he used the "find my device" feature to track her smartphone. He verified that the last place she was seen was close to Thoraipakkam.

CCTV video helped the police squad hunt down the killer. A police official stated, "We are questioning the arrested Manikandan and trying to locate the broker who introduced the woman Deepa to the assailant."

The incident comes amid the Opposition's criticism of rising crime, a charge denied by the ruling DMK.