HYDERABAD: Hours before the murder of 38-year-old Rajitha Reddy, her 19-year-old daughter, Keerthy, and latter’s ‘boyfriend’ Sashikumar browsed YouTube to find ‘effective’ and ‘no-nonsense’ methods to execute the crime.The police have found that Keerthy and Sashikumar wanted to commit a clean crime, without leaving evidences behind. As per plan, they killed Rajitha by strangulating her with a chunni after Keerthy switched off the lights inside the house and threw chilli powder on Rajitha’s face. Meanwhile, the police have also found that, earlier, they had planned to kill Rajitha by giving her sleeping pills.
Days after the brutal murder took place, the Rachakonda police sent the three accused persons, including Rajitha’s only daughter Keerthy, behind bars after registering criminal cases against them. Police found that in an effort to cover up the crime, Keerthy and Sashikumar, after killing Rajitha at her house in Hayatnagar and dumping the body on railway tracks, tried to divert the attention of police by lodging a missing complaint.
To execute a foolproof plan, Keerthy even called her former boyfriend, Bal Reddy, from Rajitha’s mobile phone and spoke to him in Rajitha’s voice, requesting Bal Reddy to accompany Keerthy, who was alone at her residence. Bal Reddy, the third person who was caught by police, was charged for allegedly sexually assaulting Keerthy.
Explaining the extortion angle in the case, the Rachakonda Commissioner of Police (CP), Mahesh M Bhagwat, on Thursday said that the couple killed Rajitha for extorting `10 lakh from her. Rajitha, who made a living by running a chit-business, resided at Munaganur village. “Keerthy and her parents were on good terms with Sashikumar, who was one of their neighbours.
While Keerthy was studying for Intermediate course, she got close with one Bal Reddy, resident of Ramanjaneya Nagar colony. Keerthy was the classmate of Bal Reddy’s sister, Shilpa, back then. Keerthy and Bal Reddy subsequently fell in love and decided to get married,” the police commissioner said. Keerthy and Bal Reddy had indulged in physical relationship, as a result of which Keerthy got pregnant during September 2018. However, they decided to get an abortion from a hospital at Amanagal in erstwhile Mahbubnagar district.
“During the abortion, Keerthy requested Sashikumar to accompany them to Amangal, so that her parents would not feel suspicious. In this regard, Shashikumar requested Keerthy’s mother to send her with him as they were going to Sangareddy for attending a function. Rajitha agreed to this and they went to Amanagal and got the abortion.
Meanwhile, taking advantage of his knowledge about Keerthy’s termination of pregnancy, Sashikumar started blackmailing her that he would inform all this to her mother, if she doesn’t maintain physical relationship with him. Over fear that her mother might know everything, Keerthy agreed to his request and started maintaining physical relationship with him at his residence.
Sashikumar took selfies of Keerthy and continued blackmailing her to continue the relationship and also demanded `10 lakh from her. As Keerthy denied it, Sashikumar forced and blackmailed her.“Sashikumar advised Keerthy and hatched a plan to kill her mother while she was indulged in the chit business. Even though they tried to kill Rajitha by feeding sleeping pills, they failed. After that they drew a new plan. He instructed Keerthy to disconnect the lights, then keep Rajitha in supine position and pour chilli power on her face,” police commissioner said.
On October 19, Sashikumar entered the house in an inebriated state and the duo executed their plan. After confirming her death, they dragged the dead body into the bed room and then Keerthy went to Bal Reddy’s house.