Wife Burns Van With Elderly Husband Inside For Claiming Insurance Fortune

A 62-year-old real estate agent was found burnt alive inside a van, Thursday, April 8.

The man’s wife and her relative were arrested for murdering the elderly man allegedly with intention of claiming insurance money.

Rangaraj from Erode in Tamilnadu, India, was murdered by his wife, 55-year-old Jothimani, and a relative, 41-year-old Raja, Thursday night while they were returning back with the victim from a hospital.

The victim had sustained a fracture during an accident two weeks ago and the suspects were driving him back home after he was discharged from the hospital.

Raja, who was driving the van, stopped the vehicle in an isolated area. He and the woman alighted the vehicle and then set it on fire using petrol.

"When the vehicle reached Valasupalayam near Perumanallur around 11:30 pm, Raja stopped the vehicle. Raja and Jothimani got down from the vehicle, doused it with petrol, and set it on fire. Rangaraj was burnt alive. On early Friday morning, Raja informed the Tirupur rural police about the death, which he said was an accident," a police officer told The Times of India.

The suspects initially told police that Raja stopped the vehicle to answer nature’s call. The woman who got out to catch some air suddenly saw smoke emanating from the van. The van then caught on fire and the victim who could not get out on his own was burned alive, police said.

Raja confessed to the crime after police showed CCTV footage of him buying fuel in a can from a petrol pump.

According to the police, the duo murdered the man for claiming an insurance policy worth crores of rupees, which the suspects had access to.

Following the investigation, officers learned that Rangaraj had debts worth Rs 1.5 crore and the money lenders persistently troubled his wife for payback.

Jothimani who was the nominee of three insurance policies worth Rs 3.5 crore that Rangaraj had taken, decided to kill her husband for claiming the money.

The woman then made Raja her accomplice by luring him with money, half as advance and a half after the murder.

Both suspects were arrested and charged with murder.