Shraddha Walkar-style murder in Hyderabad: Man arrested for killing partner; chops body before disposing

The severed head of the woman was found near the Musi river in the city on May 17 and the police had launched a probe to trace the rest of the body parts. The man also attempted to cover up the crime by applying perfume and phenyl on the other body parts to ensure the stench does not spread.

A 48-year-old man was arrested for allegedly killing and chopping off the body parts of a middle-aged woman who was apparently in an illicit relationship with him, police said. The woman's severed head was discovered last week along the Musi River in the city, and the police immediately began an investigation to find the rest of the body parts and the suspect.

Local civic workers noticed the decapitated head were shocked upon spotting the severed head and alerted the Malakpet police station who then arrived at the spot. A case was registered and eight police teams were formed to crack the murder case. They analysed CCTV footage in the area that helped in catching the accused.

According to Ch Rupesh, deputy commissioner of police for the south-eastern zone, the accused was living with a 55-year-old local finance agent when he became enraged over repeated requests for the return of Rs 7 lakh that he had owing her since 2018.

He said that on May 12, the accused and the woman got into an argument over repaying the money they had borrowed. The accused then allegedly fatally stabbed the woman with a knife.

The woman was then decapitated, her hands and legs were severed from her corpse, and the man preserved the hands and legs in his refrigerator at home while packing the rest of the body into a bag.

The DCP added that on May 15, the accused walked to the Musi river's banks with the severed head that he had been holding in a black plastic bag and dumped it there. In an additional effort to hide the murder, the man covered the other body parts that were kept hidden with perfume and phenyl to prevent the odour from permeating the neighbourhood where he was residing.