What started as a "missing sister" case has now turned into a brutal murder story within a family in Hyderabad. 40-year-old Leeladevi Kumawath, a widow who was running a small grocery shop in the Abdullapurmet area, suddenly went missing on February 28. Her brother, Pappu Ram, went to the police and filed a complaint.
Police started an investigation into a missing person case, but soon, they noticed something was not right. "The complainant's behaviour was suspicious. His statements did not match, so we focused on him," said police officials.
Police investigation revealed that Ram, along with two others, had killed Leeladevi inside his house after an argument on February 28.
After the murder, they kept the body for some time and later shifted it in a car to a lake near Majidpur village, according to the investigation.
''In a very brutal act, they cut the body into pieces using a saw and threw the parts into the lake to hide evidence,'' added the police.
Further to divert the case, the accused filed a missing persons complaint, but the investigation exposed the murder.
At first, there were rumours that the killing was due to family honour after Leeladevi's husband's death. But the investigation revealed that the main motive was a land and property dispute.
"Both brother and sister had purchased a house plot together. The victim demanded her share, but the accused refused to give it. This led to frequent fights, and finally, he planned the murder to take full control of the property,'' said the police.
Police said the murder was not sudden but planned. "It is a clear case of murder for property. The accused even planned how to dispose of the body," an officer said.
All three accused were arrested on Wednesday and produced before the court. Police are continuing the investigation to find more details.
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