Man, Wife, 2-Year-Old Child From Bihar Killed By Migrant Workers In Chennai

A migrant worker, his wife and their two-year-old child were killed by some other migrant workers in Chennai, allegedly because he objected to them sexually harassing the woman, police said

The murders came to light on Monday, after the body of a man was found stuffed inside a gunny bag in an upscale residential area of the city. Passersby noticed blood oozing from the bag and alerted the police control room. Police rushed to the spot, recovered the body, and sent it for a post-mortem.

During the investigation, the man was identified as Gaurav Kumar, a native of Bihar, who was working as a security guard in the Tharamani area of Chennai. CCTV footage showed two men transporting the gunny bag on a two-wheeler. 

Special teams were formed and four suspects were taken into custody.

During their interrogation, police found that the four men had also allegedly murdered Gaurav Kumar's wife, Punitha, and their two-year-old child. The child's body was later recovered from the Buckingham Canal near Madhya Kailash. Police believe Punitha's body was dumped at the Perungudi landfill, and they are now trying to locate it. 

A senior police official said, "The victims and suspects are from Bihar and were known to each other. A brawl broke out while consuming alcohol, which may have led to the murders. The exact motive is still unclear, but there is a possibility that they were trying to sexually harass the man's wife. Four people have been arrested and another has been detained."

AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and BJP leader K Annamalai hit out at the DMK government, stating that the horrific murders reflect growing lawlessness in the state.

Rejecting the allegations, the DMK said the law would take its own course. DMK Women's Wing Secretary and MP Kanimozhi termed the incident "painful and disturbing", stating that the police acted swiftly and that the accused should be given the harshest punishment.