Questions are galore over the circumstances and factors that made Dubbaka Sub-Inspector of Police G. Chittibabu shoot his wife Saroja before killing himself with the same service pistol.
It is too early to draw any inferences but surely the SI was facing some tough situation on both personal and professional fronts. Personally, his wife and he were facing dowry harassment allegations by their daughter-in-law (wife of their only son Prem Kumar).
A case under Section 498-A of the IPC and other provisions of Dowry Prohibition Act was registered by Malkajgiri police of the Rachakonda Commissionerate in 2015. Prem Kumar married outside his caste. Chittibabu's relatives were sceptical of the possibility that dowry harassment case compelled him to kill his wife and himself.
“From constable rank, he rose to the position of SI. He must have seen hundreds of such cases,” they say.
He was one of the very few rankers (those becoming SI or Inspector having joined police department as constable) who was given the post of Station House Officer in Siddipet district. Normally, rankers are posted in loopline or given other responsibilities. Even if dowry harassment case was said to be the reason for his suicide, it would not explain why he killed his wife. “Unlike others, Chittibabu used to call up his wife every three to four hours even during duty hours,” his colleagues recalled.
Could there be any other family matters? Investigators are yet to pursue those angles. Though Chittibabu was Dubbaka SI, not many know that he was attached to the headquarters a few days ago. While being on attachment, he was sent to departmental training. Siddipet Commissioner Shiva Kumar ordered an inquiry into some allegations levelled against him. Based on the inquiry conducted by Siddipet ACP Narsimha Reddy, a suspension order was prepared on Wednesday (March 1). However, it was not served on him.
The SI's son in his complaint charged that on Friday (March 3) afternoon, his parents had come to Dubbaka in car. Around 1.30 p.m., he learnt through police that his father had killed his mother and later shot himself dead.
“On Thursday (March 2), my father told me that Siddipet Commissioner Shiva Kumar and ACP Narsimha Reddy were harassing and putting me to inconvenience,” Mr. Prem Kumar charged.
