Mancherial killer blaze triggered to usurp assets

Hyderabad: Three days after six persons died in a blaze at a house in Mancherial, police said that it was the handiwork of the estranged wife of one of the deceased, Shantaiah, and her paramour for his pension benefits and property.
Police are expected to announce the arrest of Shantaiah’s estranged wife Srujana, her lover and a few others hired to execute the plan on Tuesday.
It was on Saturday that the accused allegedly set fire to the house of village revenue assistant (VRA) Sivaiah (50) as he and his wife Padma (45), children Himabindu (2) and Sweetie (4), Padma’s niece Moulika (22) and family friend Shantaiah (55) slept. Officials found that petrol was used to light the fire.
Cops said Shantaiah’s alleged affair with Padma had led to a rift with his wife Srujana. She applied for divorce and subsequently got into a relationship with another man.
“It was Srujana and her paramour who conspired to kill Shantaiah as the children would get the benefits and they could later usurp it,” a cop said.tnn