Property Dispute Leads to Woman Advocate’s Murder in Moinabad
Swapna was working as a practicing advocate at Chevella court: Police
Hyderabad: A 34-year-old lawyer was allegedly murdered in broad daylight by her sibling and three associates over a property dispute in Kethireddypally village, Moinabad, around 9.30 am on Wednesday.
Chevella DCP Yogesh Goutam confirmed that the prime accused, Raju, his driver Ganesh, and two others have been taken into custody and are being questioned.
The deceased, Swapna Kumari, a practising lawyer at the Chevella court, lived in Moinabad with her mother, Venkatamma. According to Venkatamma’s complaint, the incident occurred when Swapna went to survey the disputed 10-acre property. Raju and his associates allegedly attacked her with stones and later slit her throat. Swapna died on the spot. Her body was shifted to Osmania mortuary for post-mortem and later handed over to her family.
Moinabad inspector G. Pavan Kumar said the dispute had been ongoing for five years. Venkatamma had divided the land, giving six acres to Raju and four to Swapna. “He only wanted to give her two acres and was against her decision of selling it. This morning, she was surveying the land to sell one acre to a local, Darshan. Learning of this, Raju and his associates travelled here and killed her,” DCP Goutam said.
Venkatamma, Darshan and another local were present during the incident.
Swapna had earlier lodged two complaints against Raju, one at Moinabad and another at Chevella police station. In her recent complaint, she alleged that her scooty was hit by a tractor in a murder bid. “When we investigated the tractor driver, he refused to identify Raju and said he had no personal enmity towards Swapna. In October, a similar complaint was lodged after a car hit her,” inspector Kumar said.
Venkatamma demanded strict punishment. “They killed my daughter brutally. They first hit her with stones and later with a knife. They should be punished severely,” she told the media.
Following the incident, lawyers at Chevella court staged a protest on the Hyderabad–Bijapur Highway, alleging police apathy. “She lodged a complaint just a week ago. We were told an FIR was registered but weren’t given a copy. This happened because of police negligence. She kept saying she had a threat to her life. We need the Advocate Protection Act to be implemented,” said a colleague.
Others alleged that Swapna’s repeated visits to police stations were not taken seriously. The DCP, however, said Raju had been investigated on several occasions but no substantial evidence was found to prove the earlier accidents were planned.
A murder case has been registered and further investigation is underway.
