Chennai, May 6 The Tamil Nadu Police have intensified security in the western districts following the brutal murder of an elderly couple living alone in a farmhouse near Sivagiri, Erode district.
The victims, R. Ramasamy (75) and his wife Bhagyalakshmi (65), residents of Vijayanagaram near Vilakethi, were found dead with multiple injuries on May 1.
Their bodies, already decomposing, suggested the crime occurred several days earlier. Police said around 10 sovereigns of gold jewellery were stolen. This is the third such murder reported in the region over the past two years.
The couple’s son, Kavi Sankar and daughter Banumathi live in Tiruppur district. Concern arose when Kavi Sankar was unable to reach his father by phone. He asked a relative to check on his parents, who then discovered the couple had been beaten to death inside their farmhouse.
The house, located inside a coconut grove with no surveillance cameras and no nearby homes within 200 metres, was highly vulnerable.
Police believe the culprits planned the attack carefully and may have used the nearby irrigation canal to access and flee the scene.
In response, the police have strengthened canal-based patrolling in the western districts of Erode, Tiruppur, and Coimbatore. Patrol units have more than doubled -- from 39 to 82 -- covering major irrigation channels linked to the Parambikulam Aliyar Project (PAP), Lower Bhavani Project (LBP), and Noyyal River.
According to officials, Tiruppur district’s patrol units increased from 23 to 35, Erode’s from 11 to 22, and Coimbatore’s from 5 to 15. These routes were mapped with help from the Water Resources Department.
Each patrol team comprises two officers, one of whom is armed. Police are also personally visiting farmhouses to review security measures, advising residents to install CCTV cameras and join WhatsApp groups for quicker alerts.
Officers are urging villagers to use the ‘Kaval Udhavi’ app for emergencies and to report any suspicious activity. An additional 300 officers have been deployed in Erode and Tiruppur to assist with patrolling and investigation.
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