In a shocking twist, the death of a senior woman Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) manager in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, which was initially thought of as an accident, was found to be premeditated murder.
Tamil Nadu police discovered that Kalyani Nambi, a 54-year old senior official, was doused with petrol and set on fire by her colleague T.Ram who was an assistant administrative officer at LIC.
The incident occurred in December 2025 on West Perumal Maistry Street in Madurai. The death was initially declared as an accident caused by a short circuit in the air conditioner.
What actually led to the murder?
Kalyani Nambi was transferred from Tirunelvelli to Madurai only recently. After she began her work, she discovered multiple irregularities in the settlements and payment of compensation to policyholders over death claims.
In particular, she found that T Ram had over 40 pending death claims which went unsettled along with other agents.
Kalyani had warned him of disciplinary action regarding the matter.
Enraged by her warning, on December 17, around 7 pm, Ram doused the document and computers in the office room with petrol and set it on fire. Kalyani Nambi, who rushed in, raised an alarm. She also had called her 25-year-old son, Lakshmi Narayanan, to ask him to inform the police.
Ram, who saw the call being made, poured petrol on the woman and pushed her into the burning room and locked the door from outside. The petrol had also gotten on Ram’s leg, and he had suffered minor injuries.
The complaint to the police was filed by Lakshmi Narayanan at Thilakar Thidal police station.
One eyewitness who saw the burning building told police that a passerby ignored the screams of the woman who was trapped in the building. When the ambulance arrived, it only assisted the ram and sent him to the hospital.
Ram’s statement to the police was found to be inconsistent. He initially told authorities that the fire was set by a man who entered to rob Kalyani of her jewellery.
Authorities checked CCTV footage from the office after the complaint was made. Narayanan had told police that his mother had made a last-minute call before her death after she sensed danger. They also recovered a plastic bottle filled with petrol from his cabin.
Police have also said that the murder was carefully planned. At around 8:30, Ram had cut the main power supply to the building and sent an email to the Tamil Nadu electricity board reporting a fault.
He also chained the main glass entrance, cutting the access to the lobby.
Ram was arrested on Monday at his residence and admitted to Government Rajaji Hospital.
The charges against him now include murder, destruction of evidence, failure to report an offence and giving false information. The investigation is ongoing and police are looking into the pending insurance claims