Former corporator of Gajuwaka from Congress, B. Vijaya Reddy, was found murdered in her house at NGGO’s Colony in Akkayyapalem under IV Town Police Station limits here in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.
According to IV Town Station House Officer Ravi, Ms. Vijaya Reddy lived in an apartment in NGGO’s Colony with her husband B. Vishnu Reddy, who is an officer at a public sector bank. The couple’s daughter lives in Hyderabad.
On Monday night, Mr. Vishnu Reddy reached home after office to find his apartment locked from outside. After enquiring with the watchman, he was informed that Ms. Vijaya Reddy had gone out in her car with some other people, presumed to be party workers. Mr. Vishnu Reddy had also received a text from his wife’s mobile phone that she would return late.
However, Mr. Vishnu Reddy was unable to enter the flat as the lock was changed and he did not have the new keys, and had to sleep outside the flat for the night waiting for Ms. Vijaya Reddy to return.
However, when she did not return till Tuesday morning, and with her mobile phone switched off, Mr. Vishnu Reddy suspected something amiss and informed the police, who broke open the doors to find Ms. Vijaya Reddy lying face down in a pool of blood in the bathroom. About 10 tolas of gold was found to be missing from the house.
“The couple had recently decided to sell their house. Last week, a couple from Bheemili had visited their house and on February 23, the same couple had spent almost three hours in their flat. The couple might be involved in the case,” Mr. Ravi said.
Gory killing
A CLUES team that scouted for evidence at the crime scene said the woman was murdered in the living room and then dragged to the bathroom. “There are several cut marks on her body and on the hands. There are several slash wounds, probably inflicted by a sharp-edged weapon, and the injuries on the hand indicate that she tried to defend herself,” police said.
A pair of blood-stained trousers and a shirt were left behind in the flat, police said, adding that whoever did so left the flat wearing fresh clothes belonging to Mr. Vishnu Reddy.
Police investigation also revealed that CCTV cameras installed in the apartment were not functional.
‘All angles being probed’
A senior police officer investigating the case said that apart from suspecting the couple from Bheemili, involvement of others including her husband and family members is not being ruled out and all angles are being probed. The body has been sent for post-mortem and a case has been registered at IV Town Police Station. An investigation is on.
