An ex-serviceman from Andhra Pradesh has claimed to have killed his wife, dismembered her body, and disposed of the parts across various locations, including a nearby lake in a chilling crime from Hyderabad. Six days after P Venkata Madhavi, 35, went missing, her husband, Gurumurthy, confessed to the alleged crime, police said. However, the absence of concrete evidence has left investigators scrambling for answers.
Here are 10 key developments in the Hyderabad murder case:
1. The Victim, Madhavi, A Resident of Meerpet, Hyderabadwas reported missing on January 16. Her husband, Gurumurthy, initially joined her parents in filing a missing person report on January 18, claiming she had left home after a quarrel.
2. During interrogation, Gurumurthy, an ex-serviceman working as a security guard at a DRDO facility, confessed to killing Madhavi in a fit of rage. He claimed to have hit her against a wall, resulting in her death, police revealed.
3. Gurumurthy reportedly dismembered Madhavi’s body using kitchen knives, boiled the parts in a pressure cookerand ground her bones using a mortar and pestle. He allegedly disposed of the remains in various areas, including Jillellaguda lake in the city.
4. Despite Gurumurthy’s claims, the police have not recovered any body parts. “We cannot go by mere claims. We are collecting all technical and scientific pieces of evidence. The case is under investigation,” Commissioner of Police G Sudheer Babu told indianexpress.com.
5. Police have seized a pressure cooker, knives, and a water heater from Gurumurthy’s residence, believed to have been used in the crime.
6. According to investigators, frequent arguments had strained the couple’s 13-year marriage. The quarrel that led to Madhavi’s disappearance reportedly revolved around her desire to visit her native village for Sankranti festivities.
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7. At the time of the crime, the couple’s two children were at Gurumurthy’s sister’s house. Police suspect Gurumurthy planned to use this as a cover for his actions.
8. Despite the confession, Gurumurthy has not been formally arrested. “We are questioning the suspect and we have not recovered any body parts. We do not have enough clues,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Ch Praveen Kumar said.
9. Forensic and technical analysis is underway to corroborate Gurumurthy’s statements. “It seems like the result of a petty quarrel,” said Praveen Kumar.
10. The alleged method of disposing of the body has left residents of Meerpet in shock. Gurumurthy is a native of Prakasam district. No arrest has been made in the case so far.
