Police crack murder case in a day

Visakhapatnam: The city police cracked a murder case in 24 hours and took the accused into custody. Briefing details, City Police Commissioner Ch Srikanth said on Tuesday that a complainant Nanduri Ramesh reported that he owns a welding shop at Yendada in Visakhapatnam. In September 2020, D Rishi Vardhan, belonging to Seethampeta area in Palakonda mandal of Srikakulam district, joined as a helper at his welding shop, and resided at a house owned by Ramesh at Vikalangula Colony, Kommadi.

As Rishi's wife went for delivery, he did not work at the welding shop after January 2021. The complainant, however, contacted Rishi for rent which was getting delayed for months. On December 4, Ramesh along with his family members visited the house at Vikalangula Colony to clean the house. In the cleaning process, they observed a sealed plastic drum emanating a foul smell. When it was opened, Ramesh found a skeleton dumped in it.

Based on the complaint received, a special team launched an investigation and apprehended the accused. During the investigation, the accused confessed the crime. He said he met the woman at Srikakulam RTC Complex on May 29 last year. On May 30, 2021 the woman went to his residence and spent the night together and had physical contact. The next day, the woman demanded Rishi to pay Rs 2,000 or clothes and television which were denied. While exchanging a heated argument, Rishi strangled the woman to death using her dupatta.

Then he wrapped the dead body in a zipped blanket, stored the mortal remains of the woman in an empty plastic water drum. He then sealed the drum with an insulation tape to avoid stink and left the house. According to police, the deceased was suspected to be B Dhana Lakshmi, a native of Srikakulam. The CP said DNA examination will be carried out to identify the woman. Later, the CP appreciated the team including, north ACP Ch Srinivasa Rao, Inspector of Police Y Rama Krishna, SI Ch Venkata Rao and other personnel for detecting the case effectively.