HYDERABAD: A youngster from the city was arrested for killing his mother and sister to overcome his financial problems arising from losses in cricket betting. The accused, Pally Sainath Reddy, who was studying MTech and working for a private firm, mixed pesticide in their food. His sister Pally Anuja Reddy, 22, and mother Pally Sunitha, 44, died undergoing treatment.
Though he made up a story that both of them had food poisoning, his relatives became suspicious and alerted police. Following this, police questioned him and he admitted to have killed both of them. DCP Balanagar PV Padmaja said they arrested Sainath Reddy on Monday and sent him to judicial remand.
According to police, Sainath’s father Prabhakar Reddy passed away a couple of years ago. Sainath was studying M Tech at a reputed college in the city, while his mother worked for a private firm and his sister was also in college.
For a long time, Sainath was addicted to cricket betting. Initially he spent his own money on betting. But after coming to know that the insurance amount received after his father’s death was in his mother’s bank account, he withdrew the amount and spent it on betting. He also stole his mother’s jewellery and spent the money from selling them on betting.
He had also availed loans through mobile apps and invested in cricket betting. Further, he also borrowed money from several persons for cricket betting and spending on luxuries. On the whole, he had spent around Rs 25 lakh on cricket betting, due to which he landed in a financial crisis. In addition, people were pressuring him to return the money they lent him.
Unable to bear this pressure, he decided to kill his mother and sister, so that he would become the sole owner of the family property, which he can dispose of, clear the debts and lead a happy life.
As per the plan, he purchased pesticide used for maize, mixed it in the food on November 23 night and left home, saying that he was working on the night shift. At work, he switched off his mobile phone and continued work. Later during the night, when he switched on his mobile, he found SMSs from his mother and called her to know that both his mother and sister fell sick.
He then rushed home and shifted them to a private hospital and then to Gandhi Hospital, where Anuja died the next day and Sunitha died two days ago.