HYDERABAD: An army sepoy, who had reportedly killed a railway employee at Malkajgir with an intention to marry his wife, was arrested by the Rachakonda police on Thursday. The accused Gudla Srinivasa Reddy, 30, and the victim Maddi Vijay Kumar’s wife Bhavya got engaged, but the alliance was cancelled, after which she married Vijay, 30. Srinivasa killed Vijay, so that he could marry Bhavya, the police found. With clues from CCTV footage, the accused was identified and arrested, said N Shyam Prasad Rao, ACP Malkajgiri.
Police said Bhavya had gone to her maternal home for a few days before Vijay was reportedly killed on May 8. His mother Malleshwari was admitted to railway hospital for Covid treatment. On May 8, he had returned home after visiting his mother at the hospital. As he entered, the suspect attacked him and reportedly killed him with a sickle and fled. Vijay’s relative, who stays in the next house, noticed the noise and alerted his aunt residing in the neighbourhood.
When they rushed home, he was found dead in a pool of blood. Police during the investigation analysed the CCTV footage and found a person moving suspiciously in the area. Vijay’s brother-in-law identified the unknown person as Srinivasa, as he belonged to the same village. Based on this clue, police found Srinivasa posted as a sepoy in 14th Signal Regiment at Dehradun in Uttarakhand.
A special team from Malkajgiri police station travelled to Dehradun and took him to custody. He was brought to the city and on inquiry, he admitted to having killed Vijay. Police found that Srinivasa and Bhavya are relatives and their elders had decided to get them married, but the proposal was dropped. As a result, Srinivasa Reddy decided to kill Vijay Kumar, so that he could marry Bhavya. He was produced before the court and sent to judicial remand.