HYDERABAD: After allegedly killing a woman in a fit of rage, a 36-year-old man snatched her jewellery to mislead the cops to assume that it was a case of robbery-turned-murder.
The accused, A Praveen Kumar (36), fled to his native village in Adilabad. While he managed to evade the police for nearly a month, he was apprehended on Saturday when he travelled to Secunderabad for a medical check-up.
Praveen is accused of murdering 50-year-old B Sharadha at her residence in Mallampet. She was found unconscious and appeared as if someone had strangled her. Her jewellery and mobile phone were also stolen, according to the FIR.
Medchal DCP N Koti Reddy stated that the breakthrough in the case came when the Dundigal police and a special analysis team examined over 50 CCTV footage recordings within a 10-km radius of the crime scene. During questioning, Praveen confessed to the murder.
Praveen reportedly met Sharadha in 2013 when he ran a cell phone shop, and the two developed a close relationship. Four years ago, Sharadha allegedly threatened to expose their relationship to his family and file legal charges. To prevent this, Praveen paid her Rs 2 lakh in 2023. However, on October 23, Praveen visited her in Mallampet, demanding that she return compromising videos from her phone. In a fit of rage, he killed her and stole her jewellery to divert suspicion, police said.