Telangana honour killing case: Naresh's wife Swathi's death sparked doubt
Hyderabad: With the Rachakonda police establishing the murder of Amboji Naresh, there is cloud of mystery over the death of his wife Swathi, which was reported as a suicide.
While Athmakur police had been allegedly going soft on her father T. Srinivas Reddy, who is the richest man in Lingarajpalli village, the findings of Rachakonda police on Naresh's murder has compelled Athmakur police to look at the case again. The investigating officials have been asked to investigate whether Swathi was a victim of honour killing.
After Swathi was found hanging in her house in suspicious circumstances on May 17, Srinivas Reddy gave contradictory statements to the police.
“When Atmakur police talked to Reddy after the death of Swathi, he said she had not left any suicide note. But, when cops called him to the police station a few days later to question him in connection with the disappearance of Naresh, Reddy claimed that he got a suicide note, which said that Swathi was harassed by Naresh’s relatives for dowry. Later, again he came up with a suspicious video in which Swathi talked about harassment. In the video, which was shot before her death, it looks like Swathi was being compelled to testify against Naresh’s family,” said a police source.
Naresh’s father Venkataiah said that soon after their marriage on March 25 in Mumbai, Swathi had gone to Antop Hill police station and had lodged a complaint with the Station House Officer seeking protection. She feared a threat to her life from her father who was not ready to accept her marriage to a low caste man.
“Reddy was a rich man with a lot of property and an influential person as a former mandal president of TD. Many villagers think that he had already decided to kill both Naresh and Swathi when he heard about their marriage,” said one of Reddy’s neighbours from Lingarajpalli village.
Naresh fell in love with Swathi from the Reddy community while they were studying at a college at Valigonda in Nalgonda district. As she belonged to a upper caste her father did not accept the relationship. They eloped to Mumbai and got married there.
