Chennai: Three weeks after sexual assault, 80-year-old woman dies

CHENNAI: An 80-year-old woman who was sexually assaulted at home in Zam Bazaar on April 5 died on Thursday. She was hospitalised for over a week after the incident, after which she was sent home.

Then later, she was shifted to a home for the elderly in Perambur where she died on Thursday.

The accused, S Nagaraj (29), was arrested on April 6. Police enquiry is underway to ascertain if the sexual assault resulted in the deterioration of her health. Police said that Nagaraj lived on the same street as the victim, and had barged into her home in an inebriated state and sexually assaulted her after threatening to kill her.

One of the woman’s daughters found her unconscious with injuries and alerted the police. She was then admitted to a hospital for treatment from April 6-15, police said. Inquiries revealed that Nagaraj had visited her house earlier for welding work.

A police officer said that they were waiting for the post-mortem report after which they would decide if the case against Nagaraj needed to be altered.