Dutchwoman’s friend held, police say murder solved

CHENNAI: The police on Sunday that they had solved the murder of Dutchwoman Johannah Cornalia Lamberta, found dead in Mamallapuram, with the arrest of her boyfriend on Sunday. The man killed her by banging her head on the wall and punching her, the police said.
On Friday, Lamberta, the 35-year-old woman was found dead in a house near Mamallapuram, 60km from Chennai.Police had suspected that her boyfriend Remco Elisabeth Martin Joseph, 32, a boat mechanic in the Netherlands was behind the murder. The couple had come to Mamallapuram on March 10.
The case was cracked after a common friend of the couple told police that Lamberta had told the woman that Joseph regularly harassed her. She also said that the day after the murder, Joseph met the woman. When she enquired about the Lamberta, he explained through hand gestures that they fought the previous night and she had head injury. Residents informed the police that the couple used to quarrel regularly.
Kancheepuram deputy superintendent of police A Ganesan said that Joseph confessed to the crime as all evidence was against him.
The postmortem report said Lamberta died of head injury. It also said that one of her ribs was fractured and she had a severe contusion in the head but ruled out the possibility of a sexual assault.
“The couple was drinking and an issue which was already between them cropped up. In a fit of anger, he caught hold of her head and banged it against the wall. He then sat on her and kept punching her chest and abdomen till she died,” said inspector-general of police (north zone) C Sylendra Babu.
He then dragged the body to the store room after washing the blood on the wall. “He tried to bury the body and took the body out. But stopped and took the body back into the house after a friend spotted him,” said Babu.
The police had strong evidence against Joseph as he had asked an acquaintance to help him bury the body. “We have remanded him. After this he has to face trial and only after this will we think of deporting him,” said Babu.
According to police, Joseph has visited Mahabalipuram thrice and locals recognized him.
A police officer said that his house was dirty. “Usually foreigners come here and stay in decent hotels. But his house was a mess. No person will stay with the body for more than 36 hours. We are yet to confirm his character traits,” said the officer.
The incident came to light on Friday when Sekar, a guide who had been taking Joseph and Lamberta around, entered the house in Koklimedu, 3km from Mamallapuram, and found her body.
The guide immediately informed police, who sent the body for autopsy and detained Joseph for questioning. During questioning, police said, Joseph didn’t talk about the death and instead said he had bought the house from a man for a hefty price. Though the house was not registered in Joseph’s name, he could stay in it whenever he came. A woman had been entrusted with the upkeep of the house in Joseph’s absence.