HYDERABAD: In a shocking incident, a 34-year-old man was tied to a tree and brutally beaten to death by his former lover and her husband at Nomula village in Nalgonda district on Friday. Police said the couple attacked him with sticks after blinding him with chilli powder. A murder case has been registered, and both have been taken into custody.
The victim, N Janaiah, a real estate agent and sheep trader, was a resident of Nomula village. He lived with his mother, N Prameela, and was unmarried.
Police said he had been in a long-standing relationship with a married woman from the same village, despite opposition from both families.
Nalgonda district superintendent of police Sharat Chandra Pawar said that family elders had earlier intervened and warned both individuals to end the relationship. However, Janaiah continued trying to contact the woman.
Eight months ago, she filed a police complaint alleging harassment, after which Nakrekal police arrested him. "He was sent to judicial remand and spent nearly a month in jail before getting bail," said his mother. Though he kept a distance for a while, Janaiah resumed talking to her.
"Whenever my son had money, she agreed to meet him. On Friday, she called him home. He might have gone there thinking she was alone, but her family members were present and they attacked him," Prameela alleged.
According to police, the woman and her husband Nagaraju first threw chilli powder in Janaiah's eyes, then assaulted him with sticks and punched him. They tied him to a tree in front of their house and continued beating him.
Hearing the commotion, villagers alerted Janaiah's family. His relatives rushed to the spot and called the police and an ambulance. Janaiah was taken to the govt hospital in Nalgonda, where he died during treatment.
Following a complaint from his mother, police filed a murder case and arrested the accused. The victim's body was handed over to family after a postmortem on Saturday.
The incident sparked outrage in the village, with Janaiah's family staging a protest demanding action. Nakrekal circle inspector Rajasekhar said adequate police force has been deployed in Nomula to maintain law and order.