Salem: A 44-year-old government school teacher was allegedly hacked to death by her husband inside a government school campus at Omalur in Salem on Monday afternoon, in a case linked to a prolonged domestic dispute.
The deceased, identified as V. Srividhya (44) of Thindamangalam, was working as a Secondary Grade Teacher at the Government Higher Secondary School in Kamalapuram. Her husband, E. Vijayamurugan (42), has been named as the accused.
According to police sources, the couple had been living separately for the past few months following frequent disputes. Srividhya had recently been staying in Omalur and commuting to work along with their three-year-old daughter. On Monday around 1 pm, the accused allegedly came to the school premises and waited.
When Srividhya stepped out towards the restroom area along with their daughter, he jumped inside the campus, attacked her with a knife near a compound wall, inflicting severe injuries to her head and neck. Hearing the commotion, students and staff rushed towards the spot, but the accused fled the scene.
The injured teacher was immediately taken to the Omalur Government Hospital, where she was declared dead.
Preliminary inquiries revealed that the couple had married around 10 years ago and had a daughter. Vijayamurugan was reportedly unemployed and frequently quarrelled with Srividhya, following which she moved out and had been living separately for the past month. Police said he had earlier issued death threats to her, after which she lodged a complaint at the Tholasampatti police station.
Following the incident, the body was sent for postmortem examination. Police have launched a search for the accused, who remains absconding, and further investigation is under way.
