New details emerge in sensational Telangana murder case
Hyderabad: Grisly details have emerged in the sensational case in which a woman and her paramour murdered her husband.
Swathi Reddy, who was a nurse, had an affair with Rajesh before she was married to Sudhakar. And they continued with their relationship as Rajesh was working as a physiotherapist in the same hospital. Their bond further strengthened with Swathi having had to undergo physiotherapy sessions after she suffered an injury.
After they hatched the plot to kill Sudhakar Reddy, Swathi injected her husband with anaesthesia. When he fell unconscious, they hit him on his head that led to his death.
Swathi then poured acid over her lover so he would be able to undergo plastic surgery and be made to look like Sudhakar, whose body they had later burnt.
When Rajesh was moved to a corporate hospital in Hyderabad with acid burns, the hospital offered ‘Sudhakar’ a cup of lamb soup. Lamb soup is usually given to patients undergoing treatment for burn injuries.
When he refused to have the soup, family members were stunned as the real Sudhakar was actually fond of lamb soup.
Family begin suspecting
“It was then that the family began suspecting him. They asked him to identify the family members. The ‘fake’ Sudhakar refused to open his mouth and conversed with them by writing on his palm,” an official involved in the investigation said. The family lodged a complaint with the police seeking an investigation. The police then questioned Swathi, who confessed to the murder.
Meanwhile, the police are preparing to take Rajesh into custody.
Plastic surgery
The doctors at a Hyderabad hospital where Rajesh was undergoing treatment said the damage to his skin was not so much as to require plastic surgery and he would be discharged in a couple of days.
Police have already arrested Swathi Reddy. The incident, which occurred on the intervening night of November 26 and 27, has sent shock waves and dismayed residents of the small town of Nagarkurnool in Telangana.
It has left both the families of Sudhakar Reddy as well as Swathi devastated and they were trying to recover from the shock. What was more shocking was the fact that Swathi chose the 7th birthday of her son, Darshit Reddy, to kill her husband and burn his body.
Now Dasrith and their three-year-old daughter Harshita are with their maternal grandfather Linga Reddy. A shocked and tearful Linga Reddy told reporters that he paid Rs500,000 (Dh28,489) to the hospital for the treatment of the injured Rajesh thinking he was his son-in-law. “Forget the money. I am more hurt and shocked by the betrayal of my daughter. I never thought she would go to this extent in lying and betraying us,” he lamented. “Now I will dedicate my life to take care of my two grandchildren,” he said.
In another house in the same town, Sudhakar Reddy’s mother Sumatamma was still inconsolable. “I will never forgive that girl for the treachery. What was the fault of my son. He was a kind and caring person who was taking care of her and the family,” she said tears rolling down her cheeks.
Meticulous planning
According to the police, Swathi and Rajesh had meticulously planned to eliminate Reddy after which Rajesh would take his place. Later, Swathi decided to disfigure Rajesh’s face with his consent. Rajesh, to ensure that his face was not burnt severely, applied a cream on his face and also covered his lips with plaster.
However, the real identity of Rajesh was revealed when Reddy’s parents noticed his strange behaviour and noticed that his physical appearance was distinctly different from their son.
On an alert from the family, Nagarkurnool police took up the investigation and questioned Swathi. During interrogation she confessed to the crime and identified the place where the burnt body of Reddy was disposed off by the duo.