- Man in Hyderabad arrested for hiring contract killers to murder wife over finances
- Victim Mina Devi was killed on May 30, husband staged attack to mislead police
- Husband was angry for years as wife controlled his income and sent money to parents, police said
Nearly 10 days after reporting that his wife was killed by unknown assailants, a man in Hyderabad has been arrested for allegedly orchestrating the murder himself and hiring contract killers from Bihar, driven by anger over her sending his income to her parents.
Police said the accused not only planned the killing but also staged the incident as a random attack to mislead investigators.
The case began on May 31 when 38-year-old Anil Kumar Sah, a native of Bihar, approached police claiming that his wife had been dragged into bushes and murdered by unidentified men. He told officers that the couple was returning home from a market when their motorcycle broke down near a village in Sangareddy district, where the alleged attack took place.
Police said the victim, 36-year-old Mina Devi, was killed on the night of May 30. Anil had initially told investigators that three men kidnapped his wife and slit her throat when he tried to intervene.
Grudge Over Finances
According to DCP Srinivas of Serilingampally Zone, Anil had been harbouring anger against his wife for nearly three years. Police said he was upset because Mina allegedly controlled his income and regularly sent money to her parents.
Their relationship further deteriorated after Anil suffered an accident that left him physically weak.
Investigators found that he developed a grudge over the handling of his earnings and also felt neglected after the accident. Police said he then decided to kill her.
To carry out the plan, Anil contacted Rinku Kumar, a Bihar-based criminal, and offered him Rs 2 lakh to arrange the killing. On May 29, Rinku and his associates, Ranjan and Neeraj, arrived in Hyderabad and met Anil. The group allegedly spent a day planning the crime, including finalising the location, timing and escape route, before executing the plan the following night.
Police said Anil staged the incident to make it appear like a random crime by strangers. He allegedly inflicted minor injuries on himself to support his claim that he was attacked while trying to save his wife.
After the murder, the accused allegedly abandoned the couple's motorcycle on the outskirts of the city and fled to Bihar by private bus.
The case came to light after Mina's brother lodged a complaint, following which police formed multiple teams and intensified the investigation, eventually exposing the conspiracy.
The Deputy Commissioner said, "The husband of the victim created the scene as if some unknown accused had abducted her, sexually assaulted and killed her. He managed superficial cut injuries on her hands and back to give the impression that he sustained them during the scuffle with the accused to mislead the public and police," news agency ANI reported.
Police have arrested Ranjan from his native place in Chanpatia in Bettiah district of West Champaran, Bihar, and brought him on a transit warrant. Anil Kumar Sah has also been arrested. Efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining accused, Rinku and Neeraj.
Police said Rinku is involved in ganja and liquor smuggling, as well as kidnapping cases in Bihar and other offences in Punjab and Haryana, ANI reported. Neeraj is involved in seven bodily and property-related offences in Bihar and earns his livelihood by arranging DJ services locally.
