Man arrested for killing lover in Tirupur

Tirupur: A week after finding the disfigured body of a woman from Kottapulipalayam Road in Koodal Nagar here, the Dharapuram police on Sunday arrested a 45-year-old man in connection with the case.

Police identified him as R Chinnappan of Ranjithapuram near Alangiyam. He killed R Mahalakshmi, 43, of Ellappanaickenvalasu at Koodal Nagar, on September 29 and poured acid on her face to hide her identity, police sources said.

Mahalakshmi was married to Ramasamy and the couple had two children. “She had met Chinnappan while she was working as a construction labourer. She developed a relationship with Chinnappan and it resulted in quarrel between her and her husband. She then started staying in her mother’s house and joined a supermarket shop on the Pollachi Road. Though she did her best to avoid him, Chinnappan continued to pester her,” a police officer said.

“Chinnappan visited the shop on September 28 and tricked her to accompany him. He took her to Koodal Nagar and raped her. It turned into a fight and Chinnappan strangled her to death. To hide her identity, he poured acid on her face,” the officer added.

Chinnappan was remanded and lodged in the Coimbatore Central Prison.