Hyderabad: The wife of retired Andhra Pradesh cadre IPS officer Vinay Ranjan Ray was found murdered at their residence in the upscale Prashasan Nagar, Jubilee Hills, on Friday morning.
Victim identified as Tanuja Ranjan
The victim, 62-year-old Tanuja Ranjan, was allegedly smothered to death. Police suspect that a domestic help from Nepal, employed by the family for over a year, orchestrated the crime and fled with valuables.
Ray, a 1986-batch IPS officer, retired as Director General of Prisons in 2019. The family occupies the first and second floors of their three-storeyed residence located on Plot No. 46, Street No. 7, Prashasan Nagar. The ground floor had been rented out to another family.
Sequence of events
While Ray had travelled to Bengaluru about a week ago on personal work, his wife Tanuja and their two daughters remained at home. On Thursday night, Tanuja retired to her bedroom on the first floor, while the daughters slept in separate rooms on the second floor.
At around 9.15 am on Friday, another domestic worker repeatedly rang the doorbell. One of the daughters, Sunanda, came downstairs and opened the door. When the maid, Kalpana, could not be found, Sunanda entered her mother's bedroom and found her lying unconscious on the floor, with a blood-stained cloth stuffed into her mouth, and her hands and legs were tied. Tanuja was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared her dead, said an investigator.
According to the hospital medical examination report, the victim sustained multiple abrasions on the lips, ligature marks on the wrists, and a bite injury to the tip of the tongue.
Police investigation
City police commissioner V C Sajjanar said the murder was suspected to have taken place at around 2 am. "The assailants tied up her hands and legs and smothered her. A cloth was stuffed into her mouth to prevent her from screaming or raising an alarm. We suspect a Nepali gang to be behind the murder. This appears to be a clear case of murder for gain," the commissioner said.
Sajjanar said the domestic help had initially been hired to care of Ray's mother, later taking charge of household upkeep. Investigators believe she had become familiar with the family's movements and routines over time. "Kalpana was residing with the family in the same house and was observing the movements of the family members. She planned the murder and facilitated the gang's entry into the house. She has been missing since the incident," Sajjanar added.
Investigators suspect that, apart from Kalpana, three unidentified men participated in the crime. The accused allegedly escaped with a bag believed to contain stolen valuables.
Daughters unaware of disturbance
During the preliminary investigation, police found that Tanuja had spent time with her daughters until around 11.30 pm, after which the daughters went upstairs to the second floor. Investigators said the daughters remained awake until nearly 3 am but did not hear any disturbance.
Speaking to TOI, Suresh, a driver employed by the family, said CCTV footage captured three unidentified men entering the bungalow through the main gate at approximately 1 am. They reportedly exited between 2 am and 2.30 am. "They were not wearing masks. While leaving, two of them were carrying iron rods and one was holding a bag," he said.
Legal action
The Jubilee Hills Police registered a case under Sections 103(1) and 309(2) of the BNS, pertaining to murder and robbery, based on Sunanda's complaint. Police said the family is yet to provide a complete list of the missing valuables. Following the post-mortem examination at OGH, the body was handed over to the family. Police have formed ten special teams to trace and apprehend the accused.
