Chittoor: A family trip to a temple in Andhra Pradesh ended in tragedy after a 23 year old man was allegedly murdered in a carefully planned attack. Police have arrested the victim’s wife, her alleged lover and two others, claiming the woman shared her live location throughout the journey to help the attackers track the couple’s movements.
The victim, Ramesh, a resident of Sulagiri in Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri district, had travelled with his wife, Hasini, and their one year old daughter to the Sri Malleshwara Swamy Temple at Mallappa Konda on the occasion of Amavasya. According to police, Hasini and her childhood friend Yugandhar had remained in contact after her marriage and had allegedly planned the murder over the past few months.
Investigators said Hasini kept sharing the family’s location with Yugandhar as they rode towards the hilltop temple. Near the third hairpin bend, she allegedly dropped her handbag and asked Ramesh to stop the motorcycle. As he got down to pick it up, a group of men who had allegedly been waiting nearby attacked him with sharp weapons. Police said Ramesh tried to run into the nearby forest but was chased down and killed.
Their young daughter was present during the incident but was not injured.
The murder came to light after Ramesh’s family alerted police when the couple failed to return home. Investigators pieced together the sequence of events using CCTV footage from the temple route, mobile phone location records and other digital evidence. Police said the footage also helped identify the suspects and led to their arrest within hours.
Hasini, Yugandhar and two alleged accomplices have been taken into custody and booked on charges including murder and criminal conspiracy. Investigators are also looking into reports that Hasini was underage when she got married, which could lead to separate legal action if confirmed.
Police said the investigation is continuing to establish the exact role of each accused and gather additional evidence before filing the chargesheet. The allegations against the accused remain subject to judicial proceedings.
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