HYDERABAD: Police have arrested three persons for smothering a 35-year-old woman to death after administering an overdose of a substance and attempting to destroy evidence. The accused are the victim’s husband, Vinay Kumar, his nephew, Nihal Kumar, and his sister, Saritha.
Initially, Vinay Kumar and Saritha falsely claimed that the victim, Mugala Shireesha, had died of a heart attack. However, suspicious family members filed a complaint with the police, leading to an autopsy. The forensic report confirmed the cause of death as “smothering”. Following this revelation, Vinay Kumar, Nihal Kumar, and Saritha were taken into custody.
According to police, Saritha and Shireesha worked together at a private hospital in Hayathnagar, where they became friends in 2016. Saritha later arranged Shireesha’s marriage to Vinay Kumar the same year.
Recently, a dispute arose between Saritha and Shireesha, during which Saritha, in a fit of rage, slapped Shireesha and grabbed her by the neck. Shireesha pushed Saritha away and reportedly used abusive language. Though they later reconciled and slept in separate rooms, the incident took a deadly turn when Shireesha requested Saritha to administer an injection for an illness.
Victim Injected with high dose of Midazolam
Seizing the opportunity, Saritha injected Shireesha with a high dose of Midazolam through an IV cannula, which had previously been inserted for a paracetamol injection. As Shireesha fell into a deep sleep, Saritha smothered her with a pillow, leading to her death.
On the morning of March 2, Saritha informed Vinay Kumar and Nihal about the incident. In an attempt to destroy evidence, Vinay and Nihal called a 108 ambulance and falsely claimed that Shireesha had suffered a heart attack. They transported her to Metro Cure Hospital and later planned to bury her body in their native village, Domalapenta, in Nagarkurnool district.
However, police, acting on a tip-off, tracked the ambulance driver’s mobile number and intercepted them. The body was recovered and sent to Osmania General Hospital (OGH) in Hyderabad for further investigation.