THRISSUR:  A 50-year old woman was found murdered at her residence in Aranattukara, near here. The dead, Sheela, wife of Panakkal Gopalakrishnan, lived with her speech-impaired sister Usha in their house. Usha was found with her hands tied together in another room in the house.

Their maid servant, hailing from Palakkad, has been missing after the murder. Police have launched a search for the servant. Sheela's husband Gopalakrishnan, who works in the Gulf, called home on Friday. As there was no response, he asked their neighbours to inquire whether there was any problem. According to the police, neighbours found the body of Sheela lying on the floor of her room at 7 pm. The police suspect that Sheela was strangled to death.