Valparai police arrested 49-year-old municipality worker B Udhayakumar for allegedly committing an aggravated robbery targeting a 70-year-old woman in her home. The incident occurred on Tuesday night, and the suspect fled with the gold jewelry the victim was wearing.
Udhayakumar, a contract worker with the Valparai Municipality’s water supply department, resides in the PWD Quarters of the Co-Operative Colony in Valparai. The victim, identified as Santhi, fainted during the assault but regained consciousness the next day and filed a complaint.
According to police, the crime occurred at Santhi’s residence in the High School Quarters while her husband Selvaraj was away in Pollachi. Santhi had asked Udhayakumar to replace the lost hook of her gold chain. Around 9 PM on Tuesday, he arrived with the hook, followed her inside, strangled her from behind, threatened her, and took gold jewelry weighing around two sovereigns.
Police said Udhayakumar thought the victim had died during the assault and assumed he would not be suspected. However, Santhi regained consciousness the following morning and informed her husband, who then rushed to Valparai. She was admitted to Valparai Government Hospital and lodged a police complaint.
Udhayakumar was arrested on Wednesday evening, and the stolen jewelry was fully recovered, police confirmed. He has been remanded to prison pending further investigation.
