Naspur, Telangana: What was initially recorded as a suicide case after a 20-year-old engineering student consumed pesticide has turned into a suspected murder investigation, with police alleging that she was forced to ingest the poison and made to write a note implicating another man.
Thandra Akshitarani was found in a critical condition on September 12 and taken to a government hospital in Godavarikhani. She died during treatment the following day. A note recovered during the initial investigation led police to believe that she had taken the extreme step herself.
Lecturer Allegedly Held A Grudge
The investigation took a different turn after police examined CCTV footage, call records, call recordings and other technical evidence. The material allegedly helped investigators trace the Akshitarani’s movements and reconstruct the events before her death.
Akshitarani had earlier studied at Singareni Collieries Polytechnic in Naspur, where Naveen Kumar worked as an outsourced lecturer, as reported by NDTV.
Police said the two had known each other since the time she was pursuing her diploma.
Their relationship allegedly deteriorated after Akshitarani moved to Hyderabad to study mining engineering. She later became close to Ravi Kumar, whom she met during an apprenticeship at a mine, police said.
“Naveen could not tolerate Akshitarani distancing herself from him and getting close to Ravi Kumar. He developed a grudge against the two of them,” Peddapalli Deputy Commissioner of Police B Ram Reddy said.
Note Allegedly Used To Frame Ravi Kumar
According to the police investigation, Naveen intercepted Akshitarani near the FCI crossroads on September 12 as she was returning home. He allegedly took her away in his vehicle and made her write a note accusing Ravi Kumar of sexual assault.
Police further alleged that Naveen forced Akshitarani to consume pesticide. He is also accused of delaying medical assistance and using the student’s phone to contact her father in an attempt to create the impression that she had attempted suicide.
Akshitarani was eventually admitted to the Godavarikhani government hospital, where she succumbed to the effects of the pesticide the following day.
The CCTV footage and digital evidence reportedly enabled police to identify Naveen as the main accused. Investigators also seized the car and mobile phones believed to be linked to the incident.
Police arrested Naveen Kumar, 38, and Ravi Kumar, 35, on September 20. While Naveen is being investigated in connection with Akshitarani’s death, a separate probe is on to look into allegations made by Akshitarani against Ravi Kumar regarding an alleged physical relationship.
