Wayanad: A woman died by suicide after hacking her friend to death at Pazhery, near Sulthan Bathery, here, on Sunday afternoon. The woman, Mampaloor Chandramathi (56) of Thottakkara, Pazheri, was found hanging in the backyard of her house while her friend was found lying in a pool of blood in the bedroom. The friend has been identified as Puthakkadan Beeran (58), of Thoduvetti, near Sulthan Bathery.

As per reports, Chandramathi and Beeran were close friends as well as business partners. Beeran often visited Chandramathi at her place. The duo had recently purchased a goods autorickshaw in partnership. On Sunday too, Beeran reached Chandramathi's house in the afternoon. However, she had sent her mother to her brother's house, which is in the same neighbourhood.

When the mother returned home by 3 pm, to her horror, she had found her daughter hanging. She immediately alerted her son, who rushed to the spot. That is when they found Beeran in the bedroom lying in a pool of blood with a deep wound on his neck. The knife used by Chandramathi to hack Beeran was also found.

On primary investigation, police have concluded that a quarrel over financial transactions between the two led to the murder and subsequent suicide. Police also recovered a suicide note from the bedroom.

Chandramathi's husband Kuttappan, who abandoned her and their two children two decades ago, leaving them to fend for themselves, died a year ago. Her sons Nitheesh and Vishnu were also living separately from their mother. Beeran had a wife and two children.

Sulthan Bathery DySP K K Abdul Shereef and Inspector M A Santhosh examined the spot and prepared an inquest. The two bodies were shifted to the Taluk Hospital by evening. The bodies would be handed over to the respective relatives after the autopsy on Monday, said police.