Police statistics from the six districts of North Andhra Pradesh have revealed a disturbing trend for the year 2025: a significant rise in murders, driven predominantly by extra-marital relationships, personal rivalries, and family disputes. The region recorded 125 murders in 2025, marking a concerning increase of over 21% from the 103 cases reported in 2024.
Illicit Affairs Emerge as Primary Trigger for Violence
The data paints a grim picture, with police observing that illicit affairs were the main motive in approximately 40% of the total murders in the region. Investigators noted that feelings of betrayal and the fear of exposure often acted as immediate provocations, leading to fatal outcomes. These crimes were reported uniformly across both urban centres and rural villages.
Several gruesome cases from 2025 underscore this trend. In February, Konari Prasad (28), a software professional from Bengaluru and a native of Nemalam village in Vizianagaram, was found murdered. Police arrested two brothers, Konari Atchutha Rao (32) and Konari Siva Krishna, revealing that Prasad's illicit affair with a relative's wife led to his killing.
In another shocking incident in August in Keratam village, Vizianagaram, a 40-year-old man, N Krishna, was murdered and buried by his 24-year-old nephew, N Sai. The motive was Sai's affair with Krishna's wife, whom he saw Krishna as an obstacle to.
District-Wide Breakdown of Murder Statistics
The surge in crime was not uniform across all districts, but the overall numbers point to a serious law and order challenge.
Visakhapatnam (Vizag) City, under Police Commissioner Dr. Shanka Brata Bagchi, reported 38 murders in 2025, a jump from 25 in 2024. Of these, illicit affairs motivated nine killings, while family disputes led to six.
Vizianagaram district witnessed one of the most dramatic increases, with 22 murder cases in 2025—representing an increase of over 100% from the previous year.
In Srikakulam district, murders rose to 26 from 17. Here, police found that extra-marital relationships and personal rivalry were behind nearly 70% of the killings.
Other districts reported varied figures: Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district saw a slight decrease from 27 murders in 2024 to 20 in 2025. Anakapalle district recorded 11 murders, while Parvathipuram Manyam district reported 8 murders for the year.
Police Analysis and Preventive Measures
Authorities are analyzing this data to better understand and investigate such violent crimes in the future. A notable observation is that a majority of murders linked to affairs occurred due to sudden provocation, rather than extensive pre-meditation.
Police stations across the region are reportedly flooded with complaints from spouses levelling allegations of infidelity against their partners. To combat this, police suggest that timely counselling by family elders could be a vital intervention to de-escalate tensions and prevent such extreme outcomes. The force has also stated that most of the murder cases in the region have been solved.
The data serves as a stark reminder of how personal conflicts are escalating into deadly violence, prompting calls for greater social awareness and proactive community-based resolution mechanisms alongside police action.
