Home alone woman strangled with sari, robbed of necklace

 An elderly woman, who had recently retired as senior stenographer at the Karnataka State Seed Development Corporation Ltd, was found strangled with a sari while she was alone at her home in Ejipura on Wednesday afternoon.

Police identified the woman as Mailavathi, 60. They suspect the killers might be the two salesmen who were seen entering the house—located at 6th Cross, Ejipura—around 2 pm and leaving a while later. A gold necklace the victim was wearing is missing but other valuables were untouched.

A senior police officer said that preliminary investigation indicated that Mailavathi was murdered for gain. “But there could be other motives as well. The killers took away only a necklace but did not touch other ornaments she was wearing. They did not even touch other valuables in the house. We are investigating the murder from all possible angles,” the officer said.

Police are learnt to have detained some people late on Wednesday night for their suspected involvement in the murder. The investigating officer is upbeat about solving the murder in a day or two.

Mailavathi, who had retired a few months ago, stayed with her husband Anand Rao, an agent at the passport office, and son Girish, a private firm employee. Her daughter Yogitha is married and lives in Viveknagar, the police said.

Mailavathi would be alone in the house once her son and husband left for work. So, Yogitha would visit her mother every day. On Wednesday too, she came to the house around 3.30 pm but was perplexed to find the door open. She called her mother but there was no response from inside. She grew anxious and went inside. Her mother was lying unconscious and a sari was tied around her neck. She immediately called her father and brother who both rushed to the house, the police added.

Yogitha then rushed her mother to a nearby hospital with the help of neighbours, but doctors declared her brought dead. The body was then moved to St John’s Hospital for post-mortem.

“The assailants had an easy entry into the house. We suspect the involvement of someone known to her. They strangled her with her own sari. There were no injury marks on her body. The assailants took away a necklace she was wearing,” DCP (Central) Sandeep Patil told Deccan Herald.

Two salesmen were seen entering the victim’s house around 2 pm and leaving after sometime. Police strongly suspect that these men killed Mailavathi. They are also checking the call detail record of the victim’s mobile phone and digging out the details of who all visited the house regularly. Finger print experts are assisting in the investigation.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Alok Kumar and other senior officers visited the spot.