New Officer To Probe Gayatri’s Death in Mussoorie

Visakhapatnam: The Uttarakhand Police have appointed a new officer to probe the mysterious death of 27-year-old software professional Parupudi Radha Gayatri, a native of Visakhapatnam, during a vacation in Mussoorie.

Radha Gayatri, who worked in Gurugram, was found dead at a homestay on the Mussoorie-Dhanaulti Road on June 15 while vacationing with her husband, Sricharan Somayajula, a Deloitte employee based in Pune.

Gayatri’s father and her relatives met DGP of Uttarakhand, Deepam Seth, and sought a change of the investigation officer. They complained that the officer handling the case didn’t cooperate with them in the initial stages of inquiry. Following this, the Uttarakhand Police on Monday appointed Sampurna Nand Gairola to lead the probe.

Sudhakar alleged that the previous officer failed to act promptly on his plea for registration of a case against his son-in-law. “Our daughter faced mental harassment from him after the marriage in November 2025,” he said.

Sudhakar told the DGP that Sricharan had placed tracking devices in Gayatri’s belongings and frequently demanded video calls while she was at work.

Gayatri had reportedly confided in her mother, Parupudi Satyavati, that she was living under difficult circumstances and felt a threat to her life.

Based on these, the Uttarakhand Police registered a murder case under Section 103(1) against Sricharan on June 20. On Monday, the new investigating officer met the deceased’s family members in Dehradun and recorded their statements.

The family also raised questions about some of Gayatri’s belongings that were collected by Sricharan from the homestay after the incident. They further cited inconsistencies regarding the availability of alcohol at the property.

Meanwhile, the family met TD state chief Palla Srinivasa Rao seeking support for a fair investigation. They also alleged that Sricharan left Visakhapatnam after attending Gayatri’s funeral.