Thanjavur: A couple in Papanasam was arrested today for murdering a 62-year-old woman and concealing the body in a trunk in their house for three days.

The deceased, identified as Baby, wife of Anandaraman and resident of Brahma street in Kumbakonam, had reportedly lent Rs 20,000 to Rani, 41, of Keezhaveedhi in Papanasam, a few months ago. As Rani did not repay the amount, Baby went to her house on November 17 and asked for the amount. This led to a heated argument between the two women.

At one stage, Rani lost temper and pushed Baby. She fell, hit her head on the floor and reportedly died on the spot.

Rani concealed the body in a wooden box in her house. When her husband Kanakaraj, 45, a daily-wage earner, returned home at night, she told him about what had happened. Fearing police action, the couple decided to cover up the murder and went about as normal.

Meanwhile, noticing a foul smell emanating from Rani’s house, her neighbours started asking Rani about it today.

Following this, the couple voluntarily surrendered at Papanasam police station and confessed the crime to the police.

Based on their confession, a police team from rushed to the house and retrieved Baby’s decomposed body from the wooden box and sent it to the government hospital for postmortem.

Police registered a case and arrested the couple.