Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], August 23 (ANI): A 60-year-old housekeeping staff member was murdered allegedly for a pair of gold earrings in Telangana’s Hyderabad suburb Meerpet, and her body was later found dumped in a water sump, police said on Sunday.
The victim was identified as Chintoju Prakruthamma, alias Kalamma, who worked as a housekeeping worker at Panchajanya School in Badangpet. When she failed to return home on the evening of August 18, her daughter, Naroji Gayathri, lodged a missing person’s complaint at the Meerpet Police Station. Based on the daughter’s complaint, an investigation was launched into the matter.
During the probe, police examined CCTV footage in and around the school premises and conducted search operations. On the afternoon of August 21, officers discovered a suspicious bundle inside a water sump at an under-construction building adjacent to the school. Upon opening it, police recovered the woman’s body, which was subsequently identified by her family members as Prakruthamma.
As the victim’s gold earrings were missing, police suspected the murder was committed for financial gain. A Clues Team inspected the crime scene to collect evidence, and the body was shifted to Osmania General Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
Under the supervision of Shamshabad DCP Rajesh and Adibatla ACP Pradeep, the Meerpet police team intensified the investigation and, based on CCTV evidence, the police apprehended the accused near Panchajanya School on August 22.
The accused has been identified as Prakash Murugan, a native of Pennagaram village in Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri district, who operates a chips shop at Badangpet in Ranga Reddy district.
During interrogation, the accused confessed to killing the woman for her gold earrings and handed over the stolen property to the police. Further investigation revealed that the accused was under severe financial distress due to shop rent dues and personal debts. Noticing that the victim, who worked on the floor above his shop, was wearing gold earrings, he targeted her to clear his liabilities, police added. (ANI)
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