Man accused of killing mother-in-law 28 years ago arrested by Chennai Police

A man accused of killing his mother-in-law 28 years ago, was arrested by a special team of Chennai Police with the help of a black and white photo, taken 28 years ago.

Harihara Patta Joshi, 54, had allegedly murdered his mother-in-law and attempted to murder his wife and brother-in-law.

The accused, a native of Odisha, initially came to Chennai in 1993 for work and got married in 1994. The relationship turned tumultuous, leading to frequent fights. His wife eventually moved back to her mother's house and filed for divorce.

In a fit of rage, on August 9, 1995, Joshi reportedly visited his mother-in-law's house, where he stabbed his wife, her brother and her mother.

While his wife and her brother survived the attack with injuries, Joshi's mother-in-law succumbed to the stabbing.

A case was registered at the Adambakkam Police Station, initiating a search for the accused. Despite multiple visits to Joshi's native place in Odisha between 1996 and 2006, the police were unable to locate him.

A charge sheet was filed, and a warrant was issued. Recently, during an audit of unsolved cases, Joshi's case resurfaced, prompting a special team led by SI Kannan to renew efforts to arrest him.

Using a black-and-white photograph of Joshi taken at 22 years old, the team collaborated with Ganjam SP Saravanan Vivek and the Odisha Police.

After a two-week-long search, during which the team visited several places and conducted enquiries, the accused was located. Further investigation revealed that Joshi had married another woman from Behrampur and was living with her.