Hyderabad: Aunt considers niece to be burden, murders her

Hyderabad: A woman and her lover killed her six-year-old niece at Malkajgiri as they considered her a financial burden, They were caught when they were to complete the final rites of the girl at the Kushaiguda crematorium.

Late on Friday night, Kushaiguda constable M. Bhaskar received information through ‘Dial 100’ that two women and a man were trying to enter a crematorium but were stopped by the security personnel.

A police team rushed to the spot and found M. Krishna Kumari, 28, her lover G. Shiva Reddy, 29, and her mother Pentamma with the body of Gnaneshwari, the six-year-old child, in an autorickshaw belonging to one Kiran Kumar.

Upon questioning, they said that Gnaneshwari was the daughter of Pentamma’s elder daughter, a divorcee, who had died four months ago. Since then, Gnaneshwari was living with her grandmother and aunt.

Shiva Reddy was also living in the same house at Gayathrinagar in Moula Ali under Malkajgiri police station limits.

A case was registered under Section 174 of IPC at Malkajgiri, as the death of the child seemed to be unnatural and she had some injuries on her head and face.

Malkajgiri ACP G. Sundeep said that during the investigation the police found that Krishna Kumari was dependent on Pentamma, a pensioner at a bank. She considered Gnaneshwari a financial burden and wanted to get rid of her and hatched a plan with Shiva Reddy.

“As per the plan, at about 11 am on March 22, Shiva Reddy and Kumari locked Gnaneshwari in a room, beat her badly and hit her head against the wall. When she started screaming for help, Kumari gagged her mouth and Gnaneshwari died,” the ACP said. They told Pentamma that the girl had suffered fits, had fallen unconscious and died.

The accused forced Pentamma to withdraw Rs 10,000 from her bank account to complete the final rites at the Kushaiguda crematorium. Pentamma, who did not know that Gnaneshwari had been murdered, accompanied them to the burial ground, said the ACP.

Kumari and Shiva Reddy were produced before the court for judicial remand. Police seized Shiva Reddy’s motorcycle (AP10 AK 9269).