Daijiworld Media Network – Kurnool

Kurnool, Jun 25: In a chilling case bearing eerie similarities to the recent honeymoon murder in Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh police have uncovered a murder plot where a woman and her lover allegedly killed her husband and dumped his body in a canal. The victim, Tejeswar, a 26-year-old land surveyor and dancer from Telangana's Gadwal, had gone missing days before his decomposed body was recovered.

Police have arrested eight people, including the victim's wife Aishwarya (23), her mother Sujatha, and her lover, Tirumal Rao, a married bank manager in Kurnool. Rao had reportedly paid Rs 2 lac in advance to three men to execute the murder, Jogulamba Gadwal SP T Srinivas Rao told media.

The murder came to light after Tejeswar’s family, suspicious of Aishwarya’s behaviour and alleged affair with Rao, filed a missing person report on June 18. Investigations revealed that Aishwarya and Rao were in constant contact — exchanging over 2,000 calls between February and June. Even on her wedding day, Aishwarya was frequently on the phone, claiming to be speaking with her mother.

Aishwarya had initially refused to marry Tejeswar earlier this year and went missing ahead of their scheduled wedding on February 13. She later resurfaced, convincing him to go ahead with the marriage on May 18, citing dowry issues.

The murder was carried out under the pretext of a land survey. The unsuspecting Tejeswar was taken in a car, seated beside the driver, where his throat was slit and he was stabbed in the stomach. The killers showed the body to Rao via video call before disposing it in a canal. A tattoo reading "amma" in Telugu helped identify the body.

Rao, who reportedly planned to flee to Ladakh with Aishwarya, had also allegedly plotted to eliminate his own wife due to marital issues. He is also believed to have had an affair with Aishwarya’s mother Sujatha, a sweeper at his bank.

For four days after her husband’s death, Aishwarya continued to stay at her in-laws' house, pretending ignorance. The couple’s plan to escape unraveled as police traced Tejeswar’s last known location using mobile signals and CCTV footage.

The gruesome murder has drawn comparisons to the Meghalaya honeymoon killing involving Sonam Raghuvanshi and her lover Raj Kushwaha, highlighting a disturbing trend of premeditated crimes driven by illicit affairs.