Brilliance of neuro-physician helps police crack international conspiracy behind murder

GUNTUR: The sheer medical brilliance of a senior neuro-physician, professor Dr Vemuri Rama Taraknath (Tarak) of Guntur city, in diagnosing “slow-poisoning” has helped police crack an international conspiracy behind a murder and plans to eliminate the entire family of estranged wife. Dr Tarak’s findings helped save four lives in the family of a medical professional in Hyderabad. Social media is flooded with congratulatory messages about the way Dr Tarak single-handedly cracked the mystery of a murder. The medical professionals across the globe showered praises on Tarak’s deep knowledge and authority over the neurosciences.Dr Mukherjee Madivada, a senior interventional cardiologist and the managing director of Pulse Heart Center in Hyderabad, shared this gripping story on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Wednesday. Dr Mukherjee, who was a student of Dr Tarak, described the incident as a tale encompassing murder, medicine, and extraordinary brilliance. He attributed much of his success in clinical practice to Dr Rama Taraknath, acknowledging his unmatched observational skills, teaching prowess, and linguistic abilities.A young bride, referred to as Kavitha, recently approached Dr Tarak with severe symptoms of burning, tingling, and numbness in her hands and feet. After taking her complete medical history, it was revealed that Kavitha had gotten married in June. Her in-laws, hailing from diverse backgrounds, included her engineer husband Shekar (name changed) based in the U.S., her sister-in-law Raveena (pseudonym) who was a doctor in the U.K. and married to a healthcare professional, and her in-laws Subba Rao and Janaki, who frequently traveled between India, the U.S., and the U.K.The first episode of the story unfolded when Subba Rao and Janaki fell ill with gastroenteritis after Kavitha's marriage. They experienced symptoms like stomach cramps and discomfort in their legs and hands. Seeking medical help, they visited a corporate hospital in Hyderabad. While Subba Rao, Shekar, Raveena, and Kavitha recovered, Janaki, the mother-in-law, experienced weakness in her limbs. As Shekar went to the U.S. and Raveena to the U.K., Subba Rao took care of Janaki. Meanwhile, Kavitha returned to her hometown Narasaraopet, close to Guntur.Unfortunately, Janaki's condition worsened, and she was admitted to a larger hospital. The diagnosis pointed to Guillain Barre Syndrome, a disorder causing paralysis of both arms and legs. Raveena rushed back from the U.K. to care for her mother. Janaki's condition stabilized over time, and she was moved to a hospital room. Raveena subsequently returned to the U.K. However, fate took an unexpected turn when Janaki passed away suddenly in her hospital room. The initial suspicion was pulmonary embolism, a sudden clot in the lungs.The entire family got together in Miyapur in the moments of grief. The new bride went from Guntur to be with her husband in the distressing time. All of them got sick again. They went to another corporate hospital and were treated for gastroenteritis. The water in their flats was examined and found to have E Coli, a bacterial pathogen. They were treated and sent home. Raveena left for the UK, Shekar to the U.S., and Kavitha went back to Narasaraopet, Guntur.But Kavitha was suffering from severe neural pains in her limbs. She was sure that she would die, and she insisted that she be taken to Dr Rama Taraknath. She was taken to him promptly and he examined her thoroughly and heard what she had to say. He asked her a lot of questions.The vital clueWhat was not obvious to many doctors, Dr Taraknath identified in less than 15 minutes. He noticed inconspicuous white lines on the nails of Kavitha. These are called Mee’s Lines, he later told Dr Mukherje. They are the diagnostic features of poisoning from arsenic, the king of poisons. Napoleon was suspected to have died from Arsenic poisoning.Dr Taraknath got his patient tested for arsenic. He also asked the husband in the US, and the father-in-law in Hyderabad to get tested for arsenic. It was an uphill task for the NRI to get tested for arsenic, but he managed it in the end, educating his unsuspecting doctors about Mee’s lines and using Dr Tarak’s suspicions as props. The lab results showed only one thing: Dr Tarak was absolutely right. It was arsenic that troubled all of them. The police swung into action once it was revealed that poisoning was the cause for one death and sickness in four. They reviewed the CC camera footage from the apartment and found the watchman’s son talking to some strangers. They questioned the watchman’s son, who revealed the details. There is a relative of Subba Rao’s family in the same apartment who made him do the contamination.The estranged husband of Kavitha’s sister-in-law, the one that lives in the UK. This pharmacist understood arsenic as a poison, guided the disgruntled relative of the family to connive with the watchman’s son and a few others and killed his mother-in-law, while trying to wipe out the entire family of his wife. But he didn’t count on the new bride coming from the same place as my distinguished professor. “And thus, ladies and gentlemen, Dr Taraknath, my professor and mentor, brought down an international conspiracy by just examining the patient. Respect!” concluded Dr Mukherjee.