Mangaluru : An elderly couple staying alone were beaten to death and some of their ornaments were taken away in Kakkinje village near Belthangandy on Sunday night. The incident came to light on Monday morning.

The Beltangady police said Verghese (94) was found dead 100 metres away from his house while his wife, Elikutty (85), was found dead in a room in the house. Both had injuries on their head, the police said.

Superintendent of Police Sharanappa S.D. said Verghese and his wife were staying in a farm house alone. Labourers were working in the farm during the day and leaving the place by around 5 p.m. Mr. Sharanappa said the two bodies were found by a labourer who came for work on Monday morning.

Mr. Sharanappa said that robbers must have come to the house on Sunday night. There were no signs of any forced entry. Elikutty might have opened the door thinking that a known person was knocking on the door. There were no signs of Verghese being dragged out of the house.

Verghese might have encountered robbers outside the house.

The robbers have ransacked the house and made good with some jewellery. The children of the elderly couple stay a little away from the house. They were also in a state of shock, Mr. Sharanappa said.

A special investigation team headed by Assistant Superintendent of Police Rahul Kumar has been formed to crack the case. Mr. Kumar would spearhead the investigation and would be assisted by three other police teams.