CHENNAI: A teashop employee who was denied bonus and leave for Pongal allegedly murdered his employer’s wife and attacked her two children at Ambattur in Chennai on Monday night.

Vicky alias Vigneshwaran, 25, a native of Ramanthapuram, worked at a teashop run by Michael Raj in the area.

Police said when Raj refused to give him Pongal advance and leave, Vicky turned violent and murdered the former’s wife Arockia Vanitha. He stabbed her children, M Danish, 5 and M Princika, 2.

Vicky stabbed the boy on his head and stomach, and inflicted a stab injury on Princika’s neck. .

The crime came to light when Michael Raj returned home in the night. He found his wife dead and children struggling for their lives. The children were admitted to a private hospitals in the city.

West Chennai joint commissioner of police K Shanmugavel, Ambattur deputy commissioner of police A Mayilvahanan and other senior police officers visited the spot. They found the bureau open and Rs 40,000 missing. Vanitha’s five sovereign gold chain was also missing.

Police identified the culprit with the help of the footage from a CCTV camera in the building. The camera was installed by a sweetshop owner who lived on the second floor of the building. Raj’s family lived on the first floor.

The Ambattur police nabbed Vicky from the teashop, where he was sleeping. On being questioned, he admitted to committing the crime.

He told the police that he had requested Raj to give him Pongal bonus and leave. When Raj refused his request, Vicky decided to complain it to his wife. He went to the house and met Raj’s wife. When she refused to intervene, he stabbed her with a knife.

After killing Vanitha, he stole Rs 40,000 from the bureau and the gold chain from her dead body. Meanwhile, her children, who had been playing outside the house, returned home. He stabbed them with the knife and escaped.

He returned to the teashop and continued to work thee as usual. He kept the money and the chain in his bag.

The police registered a case. He was remanded in judicial custody.

