Visakhapatnam: Three days after the body of a 34-year-old woman was recovered from a local tank near Tumarada village in Palakonda mandal, the Parvathipuram Manyam district police arrested three persons — including the woman’s boyfriend, his female friend, and another individual — in connection with the murder.
The victim, B Usha Rani, was a native of Barna Seethampeta in Palakonda mandal. The accused have been identified as R. Bhuvaneswar, a native of M Singupuram, along with his friends T Kruparani and S Tejeswara Rao.
When Usha Rani served as a volunteer under the previous government, she developed a friendship with fellow volunteer Bhuvaneswar. The two later entered a romantic relationship and planned to marry. However, Bhuvaneswar developed an illicit relationship with Kruparani, a married woman working as a contract nurse in a local hospital.
Bhuvaneswar, with the support of Kruparani and Tejeswara Rao, allegedly planned the murder as Usha Rani was pressuring him to marry her, while he wished to continue his affair with Kruparani.
As per the plan, the trio took Usha Rani in a car and offered her a soft drink laced with a sedative. They later strangled her to death on June 6. Initially, they disposed of her body in a local tank near Amudalavalasa in Srikakulam district on the night of June 6. However, as the water level was low and the body remained visible, they retrieved it, transported it to Tumarada village in Palakonda mandal, tied heavy stones to it, and dumped it in another tank before fleeing, police said.
The body was found floating in the tank on June 9. Acting on a tip-off, police arrested Bhuvaneswar, Kruparani, and Tejeswara Rao. The trio reportedly confessed to the crime, police added.
This incident highlights the dangers of relationship pressures and the lengths to which some individuals go to avoid commitment. The police investigation is ongoing, and further details are expected to emerge as the case progresses.
