A charred body of a 45-year-old woman was found in her house at Erikodi village near Tirupattur town on Friday.
Police said the deceased was identified as J. Savithri, a native of Tirupattur. She was living with her husband S. Jayapaul, 50. The couple have three daughters, who are married and are living elsewhere.
Initial inquiry revealed that Jayapaul was working as an agricultural worker. His wife Savithri was working as a hotel maid. Over the years, both husband and wife had the habit of consuming liquor. .
On Friday, residents found the house locked for a long time. They looked through the window and saw the charred body of the woman. Immediately, they alerted Tirupattur Taluk police, who rushed to the spot. Tirupattur SP V. Shyamala Devi also inspected the house and its backyard. Fingerprint experts were called to the spot. The body was sent to Government Medical College Hospital in Vellore for postmortem. A case was registered.
Police said that residents told them that they saw the couple on the previous evening. They quarrelled inside the house for some time. Since then, the house has been quiet. Special teams were formed to trace her husband. A probe is underway.
