HYDERABAD: The sudden noise from tahsildar Vijaya Reddy’s office left other employees at the premises in a shock. They initially thought a fire broke out inside the office due to an air conditioner explosion or a short circuit. But they soon realised that someone was caught on fire. They could not identify the person as smoke had filled the entire premises and the person was completely engulfed in flames.
One of the employees said that they noticed the bangle of ‘madam’ and identified her. “When we shouted “madam, madam” she tried to wave her hand at us, but she could not and suddenly she became still,” she said.
The employees were of the impression that she was caught in a fire accident, but little did they knew that she was attacked. As Vijaya Reddy breathed her last, the employees also noticed one man in flames running outside the building and Chandraiah (driver) and Gurunatham (attender) trying to nab him. Later, they got to know that the man had attacked their ‘madam’ and set her on fire.
ALSO WATCH | Telangana shocker: Tahsildar dies after being set ablaze in office
The man also removed his shirt and ran for life, even as the duo tried to nab him. Even though the men tried to nab him, he fled from the spot. The entire incident happened like a flash in less than two minutes. “We had no time at all to rescue madam or do anything,” they said. It was also learnt later that the man tried to lock Vijaya inside the chamber, but could not succeed, as he also was caught in flames.
Police investigate how petrol was brought into the premises.
Investigating the murder, the police have begun to verify the situation at the office, before the incident took place. They are verifying from where the accused Suresh procured the fuel. As his condition is also critical, police have got his dying declaration recorded through a magistrate, which could turn vital in the investigation.
If he had carried petrol in a plastic container, how did he bring it with him and where did he conceal it, the investigators are probing. They wonder how none of the employees noticed it. It is learnt that Suresh waited outside Vijaya Reddy’s chamber until his turn came. The CCTV at the office could help police with vital clues. The police are hoping that the cameras are in working condition, else they will only have Suresh’s statement to go by. Meanwhile, the clues team have collected samples from the spot and sent for forensic analysis.
Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat said this is the first time such an incident has happened in a government office. The motive of the attack is being probed, he added.
“Initial inquiries reveal that only one person was involved in the attack. A probe is on to verify if anybody else was behind him and instigated him to commit the offence. How he gained entry into the office directly and what verification was done on his query will also be probed. We will expedite the investigation and put the case to trail in a fast-track court and seek capital punishment for the accused,” he said.