HANAMKONDA: In a case involving illegal sex determination and the brutal killing of a pregnant woman and her two daughters, police on Friday arrested paramedical staff, a medical shop owner, a doctor and the main accused.
A triple murder took place on April 1 on the outskirts of Warangal city in Punnelu village under Inavolu mandal.
The Warangal Police Commissioner ordered the constitution of special teams and expedited the investigation into the murder of the pregnant woman and her daughters.
The accused were identified as Md Azharuddin, husband of the deceased Farhath; Chand Pasha and Saleha, parents of Azharuddin; Md Sharfuddin, brother of Azharuddin; Basike Sravanthi, a nurse; Dr Parthu, a doctor at Upender Hospital in Nekkonda village; Manohar, a resident of Shyampet and a lab technician; L Naresh, an RMO doctor from Kondaparthy village; Satla Raju, a medical shop owner in Punnelu village; and V Bhadru, a resident of Enugallu village.
The absconding doctors were identified as Dr Purnima, working at a PHC in Ward Hannapet, and Dr S Ravali, working at Sai Suraksha Hospital in Kazipet.
Disclosing the details to the media, Warangal Commissioner of Police Sunpreeth Singh stated that a 10-member gang had been nabbed and two doctors were absconding.
During interrogation, the main accused, Md Azharuddin, confessed to the crime and stated that the medical shop owner, Satla Raju of Punnelu village, had suggested abortion on his several pleas.
The accused Md Azharuddin married Farhath in 2016. They had two daughters, the elder, Humera (9), and the younger, Ayesha (6).
However, Azharuddin, along with his parents Saleha and Chand Pasha and his younger brother Sharfuddin, had a strong desire for a male child.
When Farhath became pregnant in 2021 and 2022, the family suspected that she might again give birth to a girl and sought the assistance of several individuals to determine the sex of the foetus.
These included Satla Raju (medical shop owner in Punnelu village), RMP doctor Naresh (from Kondaparthy village), lab technician Manohar (from Vanchangiri village), Dr Ravali (Sai Suraksha Hospital, Somidi, Kazipet), nurse Basike Sravanthi, Dr Parthu (Upender Hospital, Nekkonda) and Dr Purnima (Balaji Hospital, Narsampet). Upon allegedly confirming that the foetus was female, they forced Farhath to undergo abortion twice despite her strong objections.
During this period, Azharuddin developed a close relationship with a relative who was a minor. He developed feelings for her and eventually confessed his love.
However, as Azharuddin was already married, the minor initially rejected his proposals. He coerced her into agreeing to marry him by threatening to kill her if she refused.
However, the minor girl rejected his advances because he already had a wife and children. Azharuddin resolved to eliminate them so that he could marry the minor girl.
Subsequently, when Farhath became pregnant again in March this year, Azharuddin and his parents quarrelled with her, pressuring her to undergo an abortion out of fear that she might give birth to another daughter.
On April 1, Azharuddin, along with his parents and younger brother Sharfuddin, discussed how to force an abortion upon Farhath and picked a quarrel with her over the issue.
Upon learning of this, Farhath’s parents confronted the family, questioning why their daughter had been taken to a hospital for an abortion without their knowledge. They warned that if any harm befell Farhath, the responsibility would lie with them, and then left the house.
However, as Farhath refused to undergo an abortion despite repeated pressure, Azharuddin planned to kill his wife and two daughters so that he could marry another woman and have a male child.
To execute the plan, he intended to switch off the CCTV cameras at the swimming pool located within “Sri Dharani Venture” and drown his wife and children. On the same night, Azharuddin called his wife and said, “Let's go out for ice cream with the children; I'm on my way. Be ready.”
After all customers had left the swimming pool, he switched off the lights on the premises. He then went home, picked up his wife and two daughters in his car and drove them to the swimming pool.
When his wife questioned why the lights were off, he reassured her, saying, “I just finished closing up for the day, which is why I switched them off; I'll turn them back on now.” He then asked Farhath to come to the edge of the pool to assist him in removing a “dummy cap” inside.
As soon as she approached, he grabbed her left hand, dragged her towards the pool and pushed her into the water. He then picked up his two daughters and threw them into the pool.
As they struggled to come out, Azharuddin jumped into the pool and held them under water, preventing them from surfacing until they drowned.
After the three died, they were pulled out of the pool and laid on its edge. Azharuddin checked if their hearts were still beating and, upon confirming their deaths, waited for some time before calling his parents and younger brother.
He then informed them that, while he had gone out to use the urinal, Farhath and the children had accidentally fallen into the pool and drowned.
The Mamnoor police have also registered a case under the POCSO Act against the accused for influencing a minor girl for marriage, he added.