'Found her with lover': Man murders wife inside car in constable’s presence in Telangana

HYDERABAD: A 29-year-old woman was brutally murdered by her husband inside a moving car at Nandikandi village in Sangareddy district on Sunday night, just hours after police traced her in the company of another man. The killing took place in the presence of a police constable.

Police said the accused, Sidda Reddy, who runs a chaat business, attacked his wife Kavitha (29) with a knife while they were being brought back to Zaheerabad from Jadcherla. The couple was seated in the rear of the car, while the constable was sitting in the front when the attack took place.

Sangareddy district superintendent of police Paritosh Pankaj said the constable attempted to intervene but failed to prevent the attack. "Kavitha was attacked twice on her neck. She was shifted to a local hospital, where she was declared brought dead," police said.

According to police, Kavitha went missing on March 28, prompting her husband to lodge a complaint with Zaheerabad police the next day after he failed to trace her. Her phone was switched off.

During the investigation, police received information on April 4 that she was in Jadcherla. Local police traced her and reportedly found her in the company of her alleged paramour Pavan Kumar.

A constable accompanied Sidda Reddy in a private vehicle to bring her back to Zaheerabad for completing formalities related to the missing complaint. The decision to allow the husband to travel with the police team has since come under scrutiny. "We mainly took him because someone has to identify her. The aspect of Kavitha eloping with Pavan is still an allegation and we are ascertaining it," Zaheerabad inspector Shiva Lingam told TOI.

Police said the accused had planned the murder in advance. "Sidda Reddy had a clear plan to kill Kavitha. He bought a button knife and kept it in his pocket. It was while coming back to Zaheerabad, he committed the murder at Nandikandi while travelling in the car," Zaheerabad police said.

Sidda Reddy and Kavitha were married in 2014.