Habitual Offender Arrested In Rape & Murder Of Jail Mate’s Wife

SANGA REDDY: A habitual offender allegedly involved in the rape and murder of a woman was arrested on Wednesday during a vehicle-check at Damaracheruvu in Medak district of Telangana, police said on Wednesday.

The accused Nirati Arun Kumar (26), befriended the 30-year-old woman, a beautician, whose husband Raju was jailed in connection with a surety case, the police said. During his appearance in court, he made friends Raju, a resident of Nizamabad, and called the latter on the phone on November 29. However, Raju's wife answered the phone and after learning from her that he was jailed in the surety case, Kumar began his friendship with the woman.

Kumar is said to have lured with expensive gifts including gold, took her to shopping malls. He told her that he had Rs 2 Crore hidden in Medak and that he would give her a share of the money, which she believed.

On the day of the incident he took her on his bike to Medak and took her to an isolated place near Kothacherurvu in Ramayampet there.

Once the two reached the spot, he pretended to dig for the money, but realising that she was being fooled she confronted him. The accused Kumar then raped her, strangled her to death and dumped the body in a water tank, the police said.

The incident happened on December 5 and the police found the body of the woman on December 13.He is said to have burnt his SIM card, the victim's purse which contained her Aadhar card and returned to his native place in Nizamabad. He also changed his bike registration plates. However, the accused was caught based on the call data records and the victim's information given to the police by her husband.

Kumar was earlier involved in the murder of an auto- driver and theft of an autorickshaw in 2016 and tried to escape from the police. He was also involved in a motorcycle theft case in 2017 and in in 2018 he killed a senior citizen in Tirumalgherry and stole money and jewels from her home . He had served a three-year jail-term in Chanchalguda and was released on bail.

Kumar was taken into custody on Wednesday when police stopped him on suspicion and during interrogation, he confessed to the crime.