HANAMKONDA : A 33-year-old woman was allegedly strangled to death by a software employee at the behest of her father, who wanted to prevent her behaviour from bringing “shame” to the family, police said on Monday.
The accused, A Vinod Kumar, was arrested after the decomposed body of Ankathi Manasa was found in the boot of a car parked in an isolated area of Elkathurthy village on August 20. According to police, the accused had been in a relationship with Manasa, a childhood friend who had been married and divorced twice.
On August 17, Manasa and Vinod met at his rented room in Karimnagar, where she allegedly insisted that they marry. Vinod later called Manasa’s father, Rajesham, and informed him about their conversation. Kazipet ACP P Prashanth Reddy said Rajesham, upset over his daughter’s behaviour, told Vinod that she was bringing disrepute to the family and their relatives and asked him to pick a fight with her and kill her.
Following the alleged direction, Vinod strangled Manasa, police said. He then placed her body in a car boot and drove to Elkathurthy, where he parked the vehicle in an isolated area and waited to dispose of the body.
The car belonged to T Sadanandam of Elkathurthy. Police traced its use to Vinod through his brother Bhaskar Reddy, who had rented the vehicle.
Locals noticed a foul smell from the parked car on August 20 and alerted police. Elkathurthy Inspector Puli Ramesh and his team found Manasa’s body inside the boot and shifted it to MGM Hospital, Warangal, for postmortem.
Police said Vinod initially claimed that Manasa had suffered a seizure and died in his room, prompting him to move the body out of fear. During questioning, however, he disclosed the killing and her father’s role.
Vinod was produced before a court on Monday. Police said further investigation is under way.
