Family of three from Bihar found murdered in Chennai; five migrant workers arrested

Chennai: A family of three, including a two-year-old boy, from Bihar were brutally murdered by a gang of five migrant workers when the husband attempted to save his wife from being sexually assaulted here on Sunday night, police said on Wednesday. 

Five accused – all from Bihar – were arrested on Wednesday after the Chennai Police formed five special teams to nab the accused. The incident sent shock waves across the state with the body of the child being found on Wednesday, two days after his father was found bundled in a sack in upscale Adyar. The body of the woman is yet to be found. 

Initial reports said the five people, who sexually assaulted the woman, were intoxicated. The deceased have been identified as Gaurav Kumar, and Munitha Kumari. Opposition parties latched onto the incident to raise questions about public safety and the state of law and order under the DMK dispensation. 

“This horrific incident stands as a grim reflection of the growing lawlessness in the state under the corrupt DMK government, where even the most basic right to life and safety appears to be eroding even in the capital city of the state,” former TN BJP chief K Annamalai said.

Police said the body of Gaurav Kumar was found from Adyar on Monday and found a piece of paper from his trouser pocket in which a mobile number was written. “When contacted the number, we got to know that he sought a job at a private firm in Adyar and they told him that there are no vacancies. It was also learnt that Gaurav then joined as a security guard in a polytechnic in Taramani and was living in the campus,” a police officer said.

Police detained seven people who were friends with Gaurav and during interrogation it was found that five of them attempted to sexually assault his wife, which led to the murder. “When his wife screamed for help, Gaurav went and tried to save her. In the altercation that ensued, all three including the child were killed,” the officer added.