The police on Friday arrested a minor boy for the murder of a 58-year-old woman, who was found dead in her residence at Papanaickenpalayam in Coimbatore on Wednesday night.A 17-year-old boy from Peelamedu was arrested for murdering P. Shanthi of Karuppathal Thottam, Papanaickenpalayam. She had been residing with her son, who works for a private company.According to the police, the boy trespassed into the house of the woman around 3.30 p.m. on Wednesday. The woman, who had been working as a domestic help, had returned home and her son was away for work.The boy allegedly murdered Shanthi when she tried to prevent him from stealing valuables from the house. Her son returned home around 9 p.m. and found her dead.City Police Commissioner N. Kannan formed special teams for the investigation and the accused was identified from surveillance cameras from the locality. The boy was seen leaving the area with the woman’s bag.Meanwhile, the police received a vital clue about the suspect from a mobile phone repair shop, where he had handed over the woman’s mobile phone to get it unlocked.“The shop owner suspected it was a stolen phone and asked the boy to come to the shop the next day. He in turn alerted the police,” said a senior police officer.He was arrested and produced before the Juvenile Justice Board on Friday. Published - August 14, 2026 08:45 pm IST