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The Hindu
04-07-2025
- The Hindu
Bride, betrayal and bloodshed in Telangana
The jasmine garlands on the gate had barely withered when the mourning began. Just weeks after a grand wedding in Gadwal, about 190 kilometres from Hyderabad, Ganta Tejeshwar vanished without a trace, and his bride wept the loudest. She held her mother-in-law's hand, filed a missing person's report and prayed fervently, pleading for the safe return of her 30-year-old husband. But the truth, as it would soon unravel, was far darker than anyone could imagine. Today, the dirt road that snakes past Gadwal Fort into Ganjipet lies heavy with silence. It's late June — hot, humid, and unnervingly quiet. Not long ago, the same lane rang with wedding songs, laughter and the clink of bangles. Now, only hushed murmurs and the occasional sob of the youth's grieving parents punctuate the air. At the edge of a dusty, unpaved lane, Tejeshwar's bungalow — once the centre of celebration — stands shrouded in sorrow. Neighbours and villagers arrive in trickles, whispering the same question: How could a newlywed bride plot something so brutal? Inside, his parents — 63-year-old Jayaramulu, a retired land surveyor, and 56-year-old Shakuntala — sit side by side on a single bed in their spacious living room, their backs against a wall that gleamed with wedding silks just weeks ago. Between them, they clutch a framed photo of Tejeshwar, their fingers trembling, the glass misted with tears. 'We waited so long to see him married,' Shakuntala whispers, her voice cracked and eyes downcast. 'And now, this is all we have left.' Beside them sits his twin, Tejavardhan, face lit only by the glow of his phone screen. He scrolls through old Instagram reels, of Tejeshwar dancing to a Telugu song in a park. In another, he is seen leading a group of children. 'Dancing was his passion,' Tejavardhan says, his voice low. 'It never worked out as a career, but he never stopped. He danced for the love of it.' Tejeshwar was more than a brother, more than a son. He was the family's pride: a private land surveyor waiting on a long-anticipated government posting, and a self-taught dance instructor loved by local children. From cold feet to a cold plot The match had come through mutual acquaintances. Ishwarya, from Kurnool in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, was poised, well-spoken and a seemingly perfect fit, matching Tejeshwar in height. The engagement was celebrated on December 26, 2024, and the wedding was finalised for February 13 this year. The family spared no expense — 1,000 invitations printed with intricate gold detailing, maroon accents on beige paper and a gleaming Lord Ganesha motif at the centre. The K.S. Function Hall on Kurnool Road was booked, the caterers finalised, the menu planned down to the last sweet. But just a week before the wedding, Ishwarya disappeared. 'She stopped answering calls. Her phone was switched off. Tejeshwar waited and then finally called her mother,' recalls Boya Srinivas, his brother-in-law. The news that followed shocked everyone — Ishwarya had fled to Chennai. No explanation, no warning. The wedding was called off. The family lost thousands to vendors, priests and decorators. More than the money, it was the embarrassment and heartbreak that stung. And then, just as suddenly, she returned. 'She told Tejeshwar that her mother had pressured her to back out because they couldn't handle the financial strain,' Srinivas says. 'She cried, begged him to take her back.' Against the advice of his family and the pleas of his twin, Tejeshwar forgave her. Tejavardhan, unable to accept his brother's decision, moved out of the family home and rented a house nearby. 'I told him she was already in a relationship. I had done a background check and warned him,' he says, shaking his head, disbelief still fresh in his voice. 'But he wouldn't listen.' 'He said she loved him, and that was enough,' his father Jayaramulu adds, now bedridden after a recent accident. He recalls how Tejeshwar went from one relative to another, asking them to help convince the family. He was determined to make it work. The wedding eventually took place on May 18 this year, at the Beechupally Temple on the banks of the Krishna River, just 15 kilometres from their house. Though unconvinced, the family attended, choosing Tejeshwar's happiness over their doubts and suspicion. They welcomed Ishwarya into their home. But things never felt right. 'She didn't behave like a new bride,' says Tejeshwar's sister, Susheela. 'She barely interacted with us. She never helped with chores, always stayed locked in the room, always on the phone. She only waited for him to return from work to take her out.' There were brief moments — she made tea once for everyone — but for the most part, Ishwarya remained aloof. She avoided meals cooked by her mother-in-law, ordered junk food instead, and rarely sat with the family. Still, Tejeshwar didn't complain. He continued working, teaching dance, trying to bridge the gap between his family and his wife. But unease hung in the air. Then came June 17. That afternoon, Tejeshwar had called home. He was just 15 minutes away, he said, and asked Ishwarya to have lunch ready. But he never returned. As night fell, panic set in. His phone was unreachable. Calls went unanswered. The next morning, the family rushed to the police station, and Ishwarya went with them. She wept, she prayed, she held her mother-in-law close and stroked her hair. But all along, she knew. Ishwarya had helped plan the murder. The murder plot As suspicion mounted, police turned to call records, and what they uncovered shattered the facade. Over 2,000 calls and messages had been exchanged between Ishwarya and 35-year-old Tirumala Rao, a bank manager with Canfin Homes, totalling more than 20,000 seconds of conversation. The digital trail revealed not just intimacy, but coordination. The affair had begun months earlier in Kurnool. Ishwarya's mother, Sujatha, who worked as a sweeper at Rao's bank, introduced them. Rao, a married man, had helped both mother and daughter secure home loans and slowly tightened his grip. But when Ishwarya's wedding threatened the affair, a chilling decision was made. Rao enlisted a former driver, Kummari Nagesh, and a friend, Parashuramudu. Masquerading as land buyers, they spent time with Tejeshwar, gaining his trust and mapping his movements. As the wedding approached, Rao escalated the plan — a GPS tracker was secretly installed beneath Tejeshwar's bike, says Jogulamba Gadwal Superintendent of Police T. Srinivasa Rao. On June 15, the trio tried to locate him near Gadwal Fort and Sangala Cheruvu but failed. They returned two days later, this time with a rented SUV, black-tinted windows and weapons — two sickles and a knife —stashed under the seat. At 8.30 a.m. on June 17, they called Tejeshwar again. He agreed to meet them near Kistareddy bungalow. He had no idea what awaited him. He climbed into the front seat, and the group drove toward Mogali Ravula Cheruvu, pretending to scout land. After a stop for breakfast, they steered the car towards Kurnool. Around 20 kilometres out, they abruptly turned back. It was just past 11 a.m., as they passed a temple, Parashuramudu moved to the back seat, feigning fatigue and then attacked. A blow to the head with a sickle. Tejeshwar screamed. The car stopped. What followed was brutal: slashing, stabbing and finally, strangulation. His body was shifted to the middle row and covered. The men crossed the Krishna River to Panchalingala, disposing of his phone and bag in the water. Then they met Rao and handed them ₹1 lakh and instructed them to disappear. Later that night, they moved the body again — this time dumping it near the newly-constructed Galeru Nagari Sujala Sravanthi canal. The killers returned to Kurnool and celebrated with drinks. Two days later, another ₹2 lakh was paid through an intermediary. Back in Gadwal, Ishwarya kept up her act, playing the grieving bride. But the police were closing in. CCTV camera footage, mobile data and relentless sleuthing led them to the getaway vehicle. On June 20, at a checkpoint in Pulluru, the car was intercepted and the conspirators were finally arrested. The murder of Tejeshwar is not an isolated tragedy, it is part of a grim and growing pattern. Across India this year, newly-wed men have been killed in eerily similar plots involving married women and their lovers, leaving families shattered and the public rattled. In May, Indore resident Raja Raghuvanshi, just 11 days into marriage, was allegedly murdered by contract killers hired by his wife Sonam and her partner, while honeymooning in Meghalaya. In Uttar Pradesh's Meerut, Saurabh Rajput, a former merchant navy officer, was drugged, chopped into pieces and stuffed into a cement drum by his wife Muskan and her lover, Sahil Shukla, in March. The same month, in Auraiya (U.P.), 25-year-old Dilip Yadav was stabbed to death two weeks after his wedding — another victim of a conspiracy led by his wife Pragati and her lover. Background checks the new norm These chilling cases have triggered a surge in pre-marital background checks across the country. 'We have seen a 30-40% rise in background verification requests over the past five years — and a clear 10–15% spike just in 2025,' says Kumar from Scout Detective Agency in Hyderabad. 'Most marriages today are arranged through online platforms where families barely know each other. Now, background checks have become routine. Families want to know everything — character, job conduct, financials and even romantic history. If the person's behaviour or body language seems off, they ask us to dig deeper.' Captain D.K. Giri, who founded Sharp Detectives in Secunderabad in 1978, confirms the trend. 'Back then, these checks were rare. Today, I get five to seven requests a day — both pre- and post-marital,' he says. Even within his own home, the shift is stark. 'Three of my five sons, aged 44, 32 and 30, have decided not to marry at all. They say it's not worth the risk,' Giri says. He believes societal pressure is partly to blame. 'Children are pushed into marriage without emotional alignment. The heart is elsewhere, but they go through with it to please the family. That dishonesty often leads to devastating outcomes.' Diana Monteiro, a counselling psychologist in Hyderabad, sees this pressure play out often in her practice. 'Arranged marriages aren't inherently the problem. Forced ones are,' she says. 'Once a match is approved by elders, the emotional or logical concerns of the bride or groom are dismissed. Emotional blackmail and abuse are commonly used to pressure them into agreeing. But when problems arise after marriage, the same families ask, 'Why did you marry if you didn't want to?' or they blame the child for not fighting hard enough,' she adds. She notes growing fear among young people. 'I find people more cautious, more sceptical. I have heard half-anxious, half-joking remarks like, 'Hope they don't kill me',' she shares. She highlights to the pressure around past relationships. 'Many young men expect their wives to have no history, no baggage. That creates secrecy. If the truth comes out and the man reacts violently, it can lead to unimaginable consequences.' But even as men are increasingly at risk in such headline-grabbing cases, the larger picture still reveals a society where women continue to suffer in silence. This is just one layer of a much deeper issue, says Purnima Nagaraja, therapist and consultant mental health expert, pointing to widespread dowry deaths and crimes against women in the country. 'Our society continues to expect women to be submissive, tolerant and silently endure suffering. The idea that women themselves could be behind such violent acts is a bitter pill to swallow,' she says. According to her, the root problem lies in how marriages are still arranged — more as alliances between caste, class, and income brackets than between compatible individuals: 'Elders often hold the belief that love can happen after marriage. But today's generation lives in a world shaped by social media, dating culture and conversations around choice and intimacy.' Back in Ganjipet, the wedding album gathers dust on the shelves. In the flickering light of a corner room, Tejeshwar's father stares at his son's photograph — the last one taken before the ceremony. His hands tremble as he touches the frame, his voice barely a whisper. 'Why him?' he asks. It is a question no one can answer.
Time of India
27-06-2025
- Time of India
GPS tracker on bike, cash in hand, killers on call: Mother-daughter love triangle ends in husband's killing in Telangana; chilling details of Gadwal murder
NEW DELHI: What began as a quiet marriage in Telangana's Gadwal town ended in a meticulously planned murder involving betrayal, an illicit affair, and contract killers. The victim — 32-year-old land surveyor Ganta Tejeshwar — was abducted and killed allegedly at the behest of his wife and her lover, who used a GPS tracker and a team of hired men to carry out the crime. Police have now arrested eight people, including the wife, her lover, and three contract killers. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad Victim tracked with GPS before killing Police say the prime accused, V Tirumala Rao, 35, a manager at Can Fin Homes Ltd in Kurnool, and his lover T Sahasra alias Ishwarya, 23 — Tejeshwar's wife — monitored the victim's movements for over a month. A GPS tracker was secretly placed on Tejeshwar's motorbike, and a local man named Jagan, from Gadwal, was enlisted to provide real-time updates. From plot to kill his own wife to murdering her husband Initially, Rao had allegedly planned to kill his own wife, but dropped the idea fearing repercussions from both families. He and Ishwarya then decided to eliminate Tejeshwar, who had married her just weeks earlier. Rao promised money and favours to a group of hired men from Kurnool to execute the murder. Killers posed as land buyers, lured victim to isolated spot The three killers — K Nagesh, Ch Parashuramudu, and Ch Raju — befriended Tejeshwar by pretending to be land buyers. On June 17, they picked him up in a rented car near Krishna Reddy Bungalow in Gadwal and drove him to an isolated location near Erravalli. There, they slit his throat and strangled him inside the vehicle. His body was later dumped in a canal near Panyam Ghat Road in Nandyal, and his mobile phones were discarded in the Krishna River. Gang paid Rs 3.5 lakh; body shown to mastermind before disposal After the killing, the accused met Tirumala Rao in Panyam and showed him the body. Rao allegedly paid the gang ?2 lakh on the spot, part of the promised Rs 3.5 lakh. While they initially considered burying the body on Rao's land, they later dumped it in the canal to avoid detection. The Swift Dzire used in the crime was later recovered. Vehicle check busts escape plan The escape plan fell apart when police intercepted the car carrying Rao and the three killers at the Pulluru inter-state toll plaza. A vehicle check led to their arrest. Based on their confessions, police arrested five more individuals: T Sahasra alias Ishwarya, wife of the victim and co-conspirator Tirupataiah, 64, Rao's father and a retired APSP constable, who helped him hide Sujatha, Ishwarya's mother, who was aware of the plot A Mohan, 30, a mason from Jammiched village who helped track Tejeshwar Jagan, the local informer from Gadwal All eight have been remanded to judicial custody. Police are now seeking custody for crime scene reconstruction and recovery of remaining evidence, including two more vehicles used in the crime. A troubled marriage from the start Tejeshwar, a resident of Rajaveedhi in Gadwal town, married Ishwarya on May 18 at a temple in Beechupalli, despite initial resistance from Tejeshwar's family. Their original wedding in February was called off after Ishwarya went missing days before the ceremony. She resurfaced later claiming financial struggles, and convinced Tejeshwar to go ahead with the marriage. However, differences emerged within weeks. Tejeshwar was reportedly disturbed by his wife's constant phone conversations with a man he did not know — now believed to be Tirumala Rao. Affair began with mother, shifted to daughter Investigators say Rao initially had a relationship with Sujatha, Ishwarya's mother, who worked as a sweeper at his office. In her absence, Ishwarya took over the cleaning duties, leading to her own affair with Rao. Police say she was fully aware of the murder conspiracy and even shared her husband's live location with the killers.
Time of India
26-06-2025
- Time of India
Two states, two wives: Sonam Raghuvanshi paid Rs 50k to killers, T Sahasra alias Ishwarya Rs 2 lakh; husbands killed in chillingly 'similar' ways
NEW DELHI: In a disturbing parallel to two separate cases of spousal betrayal and murder, love turned lethal not once—but twice. In Telangana, a newlywed land surveyor was brutally killed, allegedly at the behest of his wife's lover. Just weeks earlier, in Meghalaya, a young man on his honeymoon met a similar fate—murdered in cold blood after his wife allegedly paid her lover and his accomplices to track and kill him. Gadwal murder: Wife shared location, lover paid killers Rs 2 lakh You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad G Tejeshwar, a resident of Rajaveedhi in Gadwal town, Telangana, married T Sahasra alias Ishwarya (25) from Kallur in Andhra Pradesh on May 18, despite objections from his family. The couple had earlier cancelled their wedding in February after Ishwarya vanished for a few days. She returned and convinced Tejeshwar that she had left due to financial stress in her family. Believing her, Tejeshwar went ahead with the marriage, but tensions arose soon after. He reportedly grew suspicious of her constant phone conversations with an unknown person. On June 17, Tejeshwar left home after getting into a car for what he thought was a routine land survey, but never returned. Following a missing person complaint filed by his brother, police traced his last known movements through CCTV footage and found his decomposed body in the HNSS canal in Nandyal district, Andhra Pradesh, on June 21. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trending in in 2025: Local network access control [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo Police arrested three contract killers — Nagesh, Parashuram, and Raju — all from Kurnool, along with Ishwarya. The killers confessed they were paid Rs 2 lakh by Thirumala Rao, a Kurnool-based NBFC manager who had earlier been in a relationship with Ishwarya's mother. Police said Rao had developed a relationship with Ishwarya as well, and she was fully aware of the plot to kill her husband. In fact, she even shared Tejeshwar's location with the accused. On the pretext of conducting a land survey, the killers slit Tejeshwar's throat in a car. After confirming the murder, Rao paid them the agreed amount. Initially, the plan was to bury the body on Rao's land in Panyam, but they eventually dumped it in a canal. The murder vehicle, a Swift Dzire, has been recovered. Honeymoon murder: Wife paid Rs 50,000 for tracking and killing husband Miles away in the hills of Shillong, another deadly plot was unfolding—this time, with a honeymoon as the cover. Sonam Raghuvanshi from Madhya Pradesh is accused of paying Rs 50,000 to her lover, Raj Kushwaha, and his associates to stalk and kill her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi. According to investigators, Raj Kushwaha, along with Vishal Singh, Anand Kurmi, and Akash Rajput, travelled from Indore to Delhi between May 17 and 18, and then boarded the Rajdhani Express to Guwahati. From there, they entered Shillong and began monitoring Sonam and Raja's movements. Police believe Sonam shared details of her travel plans, enabling the killers to execute their plan during the honeymoon. Authorities are probing the full extent of her involvement, including phone and financial records, to establish premeditation and conspiracy.
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Time of India
Another honeymoon ends in murder: Andhra wife, her married lover arrested for killing husband weeks after wedding
Victim went missing on June 17 TNN Three men arrested for the murder Live Events Wife among those arrested; main accused on the run (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel In a murder case with similarities to the recent honeymoon killing in Meghalaya, a 32-year-old land surveyor from Telangana was found dead days after he went missing. Police say he was allegedly killed by three contract killers hired by his wife's lover. Four people have been taken into custody, while the main suspect, said to be the wife's lover, is still victim, G Tejeshwar, a private land surveyor from Rajaveedhi in Gadwal town, married T Sahasra alias Ishwarya, 25, a month ago at Anjaneya Temple in Beechupalli. The couple had tied the knot on May 17, going ahead with the wedding despite resistance from Tejeshwar's the evening of June 17, Tejeshwar got into a car in Gadwal and did not return home. His brother, Tejvardhan, filed a missing person's report with Gadwal town police the next day.'We verified CCTV footage at different places and found that Tejeshwar got into a car on June 17. Our teams located the decomposed body in the HNSS Canal in Sugalimetta under the Panyam police station limits of Nandyal district (AP) on June 21. Family members of the victim identified the body,' said Gadwal superintendent of police T Srinivasa on the car's registration, police picked up three suspects from Kurnool — Nagesh, Parashuram, and Raju. Investigations revealed that the three had approached Thirumala Rao, a non-banking finance company (NBFC) manager in Kurnool, seeking a loan. According to police, it was Rao who convinced them to carry out the murder.'The three said Thirumala Rao convinced them to kill Tejeshwar. On June 17, they picked up Tejeshwar from Gadwal on the pretext of carrying out a land survey at Yerravalli in Gadwal. They killed him by slitting his throat in the car,' said a Gadwal police body was shown to Rao before it was dumped in the HNSS canal. Rao allegedly paid ₹2 lakh to the killers. The Swift Dzire used in the murder was later recovered from wife, Ishwarya, has also been taken into custody. Police said she was aware of the murder plan and even shared her husband's location with the prime accused, Thirumala to investigators, Rao, who is married, was earlier in a relationship with Ishwarya's mother, Sujatha. She worked as a sweeper at the NBFC where Rao was employed. In her absence, Ishwarya used to do the cleaning work, during which Rao developed a relationship with her as well.'Tejeshwar believed her story and, against the advice of his family, married Ishwarya on May 18. His family also attended the wedding reluctantly. But differences apparently cropped up between the couple days after the wedding. Tejeshwar was unhappy with Ishwarya constantly talking to a stranger on the phone,' a senior police officer say a manhunt is underway to trace Rao, who is believed to be the main accused. The motive behind the killing is still under investigation.
Time of India
24-06-2025
- Time of India
'Shared husband's live location with killers': Telangana man murdered by bride's lover, his aides; accused also involved with her mother
HYDERABAD: In a case that is similar to the honeymoon murder in Meghalaya, a 32-year-old private land surveyor from Gadwal was murdered by killers allegedly hired by his wife's lover. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The couple had married a month earlier against the wishes of the victim's parents. Police officers have taken four suspects, including the three hired killers and the victim's wife, into custody. A manhunt has been launched to nab the absconding main accused, who is believed to be the wife's lover. The investigators, however, are yet to establish the motive behind the brutal murder. The victim, G Tejeshwar from Rajaveedhi in Gadwal town, married T Sahasra alias Ishwarya, 25, from Kallur in Kurnool of Andhra Pradesh at the Anjaneya temple in Beechupalli on May 17. Tejeshwar's marriage was originally scheduled for Feb 13, with Ishwarya, but a few days before the wedding, she left her home without informing her family. Ishwarya returned on Feb 16, but Tejeshwar's family called off the wedding, upset with her sudden disappearance. However, Ishwarya got in touch with Tejeshwar, claiming that she felt bad as her mother, Sujatha, was struggling to arrange money for the wedding and that she had been living with her relatives all this while. "Tejeshwar believed her story and, against the advice of his family, married Ishwarya on May 18. His family also attended the wedding reluctantly. But differences apparently cropped up between the couple days after the wedding. Tejeshwar was unhappy with Ishwarya constantly talking to a stranger on the phone," a senior police officer from Gadwal said. On the evening of June 17, Tejeshwar got into a car in Gadwal and did not return home. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The next day, the Gadwal town police registered a missing case on a complaint by Tejeshwar's brother, Tejvardhan. "We verified CCTV footage at different places and found that Tejeshwar got into a car on June 17. Our teams located the decomposed body in the HNSS Canal in Sugalimetta under the Panyam police station limits of Nandyal district (AP) on June 21. Family members of the victim identified the body," Gadwal superintendent of police T Srinivasa Rao said. Based on the registration details of the car that the victim got into before his death, police officials picked up three suspects - Nagesh, Parashuram, and Raju, all residents of Kurnool. The trio confessed that they approached Thirumala Rao, manager of a Kurnool-based NBFC, for loans. "The three said Thirumala Rao convinced them to kill Tejeshwar. On June 17, they picked up Tejeshwar from Gadwal on the pretext of carrying out a land survey at Yerravalli in Gadwal. They killed him by slitting his throat in the car," a Gadwal police officer said. After committing the murder, the accused met Thirumala Rao in Panyam and showed him the body. He paid 2 lakh to the trio. They initially thought of burying the body in Thirumala Rao's land in Panyam but later decided against it and dumped it in the canal. The Gadwal police recovered the Swift Dzire used in the offence from Panyam. Ishwarya has also been taken into custody. According to police, Thirumala Rao, who is married, was initially in a relationship with Ishwarya's mother Sujatha, who worked as a sweeper at the NBFC. "In Sujatha's absence, Ishwarya did the cleaning work, and Thirumala Rao, who is in late 30s, befriended her too. Ishwarya was aware of the murder conspiracy and even shared her husband's location with the prime accused," police said.
