'Intended to marry minor girl for male child': Telangana businessman, 9 others held for murder of pregnant wife, 2 daughters

WARANGAL: About ten days after a three-month-pregnant woman and her two daughters, aged nine and five, were found dead in a private swimming pool on the outskirts of Warangal, police on Friday arrested ten individuals, including the woman's husband — the prime accused.

According to Warangal police commissioner Sunpreeth Singh, Md Azharuddin allegedly killed his wife, Md Farhana (26), their two children, and her unborn foetus after learning that the foetus was female. Police said he intended to marry a minor girl in the hope of fathering a male child.

The other arrested include Azharuddin's parents, Md Chand Pasha and Saleema, and his brother, Sharfuddin, who allegedly assisted in the crime. The others include Satla Raju, a medical shop owner, L Ramesh, an RMP practitioner, Dr Balne Parthu of Nekkonda mandal, Manohar, a lab technician from Shayampet, B Sravanthi, a nurse in Kazipet, and V Bhadru, a mediator. They are accused of facilitating an illegal prenatal sex determination test on Farhana.

Police said two gynaecologists, B Purnima and S Ravali, allegedly involved in the case, are absconding.

The investigation revealed that the sequence of events began in March, when Azharuddin allegedly forced his wife to undergo a sex determination test. He initially approached Satla Raju, who connected him with an RMP named Naresh, a resident of Kondaparthy in Kazipet mandal, along with lab technician Manohar. The group reportedly took the couple to Suraksha Hospital in Kazipet, where Dr S Ravali and nurse Sravanthi conducted the test. Upon learning that the foetus was female, Azharuddin is said to have conspired with his parents to carry out the murders.

According to police, on April 1, Azharuddin took his family to his farmhouse near Punnelu village on the outskirts of Warangal, under the pretext of celebrating his younger daughter's birthday. The family resided in the village, where he operated a cement and brick manufacturing unit.

At the farmhouse, he allegedly disconnected CCTV cameras and cut off the power supply before leading them to the pool and pushing them in. Police said he remained there until they drowned, then raised an alarm and attempted to pass off the deaths as accidental. He also informed Farhana's parents.

However, Farhana's father, S K Ali, grew suspicious on seeing the bodies in the pool and lodged a complaint with the police.

Following the complaint, special teams were formed and Azharuddin was arrested on the outskirts of the village. Police said he confessed to the crime during interrogation.

He has been booked under Sections 103 (murder), 106(1) (causing death by negligence), and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The other accused have been charged under Section 23 of the PCPNDT Act for sex selection and prenatal sex determination.

Azharuddin has also been booked under Sections 11 and 12 of the POCSO Act for allegedly attempting to marry a minor, based on a complaint by her father, who said the accused continued to pursue her despite repeated rejection.


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