A 55-year-old woman was killed by unidentified men at Thazhathangady in Kottayam district of Kerala. The crime occurred during a suspected attempt of robbery at their residence on Monday.
The victim has been identified as Sheeba Sally of Parappadam. Her husband Sally was seriously injured in the attack.
The incident came to light on Monday evening when neighbours sensed the smell of LPG gas emanating from their house and alerted the police.
When the police team reached the crime scene, they found the couple tied up using electric wires, lying in a pool of blood and the house filled with gas that had leaked from the cylinder.
The couple was taken to the government medical college hospital in Kottayam, but Sheeba’s life couldn’t be saved.
An investigation has been launched into the incident in which the woman was allegedly bludgeoned to death, while her husband was found lying unconscious near her.
Both of them suffered severe head injuries in the attack caused by heavy objects. Valuable items including a car were reportedly missing from their home. "We were informed about the crime after 4 pm and it's assumed to have happened earlier in the day," an official of the Thazhathangadi police station told TNM.
According to reports, Sheeba Sally and her husband had financial dealings with many people and a rift over the dealings could have caused the crime.
Sheeba's body was sent for autopsy and later cremated, according to the police.
No weapons were used for attacking the couple and the intention of the assailants was to threaten the couple and steal money, say reports.
With PTI inputs