Murder Suspects On Bail Cut Woman's Ears For Earrings, Wanted Money For Case Expenses

Two men in India, accused of murder and out on bail, reportedly cut an elderly woman's earlobes on Thursday, Jan. 26, to get her earrings to pay their lawyer's fees.

C Dhanapackiam, a 65-year-old widow who lives alone, woke up and stepped outside her house around 9 p.m. after hearing the dogs barking, police said. She reportedly noticed two men riding a motorcycle, speeding and approaching her. Within less than a minute, the men suddenly held her tightly and cut her earlobes using a knife. The two men, identified as Murugan, 45, and Vijay, 22, were arrested five days after the incident.

The neighbors immediately came out after hearing Dhanapackiam's screams. But they failed to catch the robbers since they had already escaped. Though they spent time searching around the place, they did not find anyone. The woman was rushed to the hospital for treatment, The Times of India reported.

Police looked and observed several active mobile phones near the tower location and narrowed down on a few suspects. According to police, a couple of phones that came under the radar displayed location in a forest area nearby Krishnagiri district. A police team immediately responded and found the two men hiding at Konnampatti Pudur.

"They were accused in a few murder cases. They told us that they were desperate to meet the expenses of fighting the cases and decided to rob. The poor woman living alone became their target," said a police officer.

Authorities prosented them before a local court that remanded them in judicial custody.

In related news, a woman in Bihar reportedly died in December after a man cut off her breasts, hands, legs and ears using a sharp weapon while in a public market in Bihar's Bhagalpur district, India Today reported.

People in the market were able to recognize the victim as a regular in the market. They immediately informed her husband about the incident. The accused was identified as Mohammad Shakeel.

The injured woman was taken to the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Mayaganj, where she died during treatment.

According to her husband, they did not have any enmity with the accused.

"We did not have any enmity with Shakeel before, but this kind of incident is beyond my understanding," he said.