Hyderabad: An elderly couple was murdered by two unidentified persons in their duplex apartment in Rajendranagar on Thursday. Police suspect it to be a case of murder for gain.According to the police, the deceased were identified as Shaik Abdullah (77), a retired bank employee, and his wife Rizwana (70), a retired polytechnic college lecturer. They were found dead with multiple stab injuries by the building’s watchman on Friday.According to police officials, Abdullah had sustained seven stab injuries on his body, including the chest, abdomen, and leg. Based on the watchman’s statement, the Rajendranagar police booked a case under Section 103 (murder) of BNS and launched a manhunt for the accused.“As per the watchman’s statement, two people had come to visit the couple at around 5.10 pm on Thursday. They said they were physiotherapists. It was after taking permission from the house owner that the two were allowed inside. One of them was wearing a mask, and the other was dressed in burqa,” said a police official. “Five minutes later, the person wearing the mask came out, and the other person left the house about 30 minutes later and came down from the sixth floor.“The couple had moved into the Rajendranagar residence about a month ago and were living alone. The police are yet to ascertain the extent of the loss. “The house, including the cupboard, was found ransacked. Since there was no third person, we cannot confirm whether any property was stolen. Only imitation ornaments were found at the site, and no gold was recovered. Until the culprits are caught, we cannot ascertain anything,” said D Srinivas, assistant commissioner of police (Rajendranagar division), reiterating that they suspect it to be a murder for gain.The couple lived on the fifth and sixth floors of the building, while the remaining portions had been rented out. They have four children — two residing in the US and two in London. “The murder came to light at 11 am on Friday when the watchman went to the victims’ house. Finding the fifth floor locked, he went to the sixth floor, where the lock was open. From there, he came downstairs and found the couple murdered,” the police official added.
