Murder of actors father: 2 arrested

CHENNAI: Two persons were arrested on Thursday in connection with the  murder of  film actor Vichitra’s father. Police claimed that the motive behind the killing was to rob the aged couple.  Velu (23) and Suresh (25) of Elampakkam village near  Nemili were arrested for murdering Vichitra’s father  William (70) and for attacking his wife Vasantha (65) in the farmhouse on Tuesday morning.  Fifteen sovereigns of jewellery and Rs 10,000 in cash were  looted from the farmhouse located outside Chellampattidai village near Sunguvachatram. Police sources said they traced the accused by tracking mobile phone signals as they had reportedly stolen two mobile phones belonging to William and had used one of them with a different SIM card.“We also got details of the identity of the accused from Vasantha,” said a police official.Police said two persons, who used to catch rodents in farms, had allegedly visited William’s farm where they  found the aged couple living alone and later planned the  heist. “They look out for houses that are isolated. The  farmhouse located on one-and-a-half-acres of land was not near the village. The murder was committed purely  for gain. We have recovered the stolen items,” said  Gajendra Kumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police,  Sriperumbudur.Both Velu and Suresh have a criminal background. Police said they murdered a man sleeping near a temple at  Pondur village near Sriperumbudur while attempting to  steal the temple hundi. They threw the body in a lake  and fled the scene when the temple alarm went off.