ONGOLE/VIJAYAWADA : In a brutal incident, a 38-year-old techie and her seven-year-old son from Andhra Pradesh were found dead at their home in Burlington of New Jersey state in USA.
The US police reportedly took her husband who is also a software engineer into custody for questionning and are investigating if it was a hate crime or a murder with other intentions.
N Sasikala (38) of Vijayawada was married to N Hanumantha Rao from Thimmarajupalem in Parchur mandal in Prakasam district, about 13 years ago and the couple have been residing in the US for the last nine years.
The couple have a son Anish Sai (7). On Friday morning, Hanumantha Rao telephoned in Thimmarajupalem, at around 6 am and informed them that Saisikala and Anish were found dead in the house, when he returned from office on Thursday evening according to American Standard Time. Unidentified persons are believed to have slashed their throats. On seeing his wife and son dead, Hanumantha Rao informed the police.
“Immediately thereafter, the local police seized his phone and took him to the police station for questionning. We are trying to contact relatives and friends to ensure that our son is not wrongly arrested and the bodies of daugter-in-law and grandson are sent back to India at the earliest,” Hanumantha Rao’s father Subba Rao told TNIE.
Subba Rao further stated that his daughter-in-law was working from home, while Hanumantha Rao went to the office. According to him, Sasikala picked up Anish from school at around 5 pm and was found dead when Hanumantha Rao returned home at 7 pm.
However, Sasikala’s parents suspect the involvement of Hanumantha Rao in the murder of their daughter. They alleged that Hanumantha Rao had illegal affair with his colleague and he had even threatened to divorce her. “Initially, he had rubbished the affair but when Sasikala confronted him, he started keeping away from home.
We highly suspect that he might have hired someone to kill my daughter and grandson,” alleged Sunkara Venkateswara Rao, father of Sasikala and a resident of Lakshmipuram Colony in Vijayawada.
The family members of Hanumantha Rao and Sasikala are trying to contact officials at Indian Embassy in US with help of Telugu associations. Parchur MLA E Sambasiva Rao took issue to notice of chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu who in turn entrusted minister Palle Raghunadha Reddy to ensure that bodies return to India at the earliest.