Hyderabad teen who allegedly killed mother, was raped and blackmailed: Police

Days after it came to light that a woman in Hyderabad allegedly killed her own mother with the help of her boyfriend, the Rachakonda police said that they have cracked the case, adding that the accused daughter was allegedly raped and blackmailed to carry out the crime. Police said that the main accused was identified as 28-year-old Kotha Shashikumar, an unemployed man who used to stay close to the daughter's house. The woman's mother, identified as Rajitha, had moved to Hyderabad with her family from Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, around 10 years ago, the police added. It was here that Rajitha's daughter became acquaintances with the main accused Shashikumar, who was staying in the same colony. Police said that when the woman was studying in Intermediate, she got into a relationship with one Bal Reddy, and they decided to marry."She got pregnant in the month of September 2018. This was informed to her boyfriend Bal Reddy. They decided to get abortion done, for which she needs two days bed rest after getting abortion at Amangal town," the police said in a press note. At the time, she confided in Shashi, who told her parents that they were going to attend a function in Sangareddy, and instead went to Amangal for an abortion, before returning to Hyderabad. Police said that following this, Shashi began blackmailing the woman that he would inform her mother about the abortion, and allegedly raped her. He is also alleged to have taken photographs, which he later used to blackmail her.  Shashi allegedly asked for a ransom of Rs 10 lakh, and advised the woman to kill her mother Rajitha, as she owned several plots and agricultural lands in Hyderabad and at their native village.  Police said that at 7 pm on October 19, as per their plan, she switched off the lights and threw chilli powder on her mother Rajitha, following which Shashikumar entered the house and strangulated Rajitha with the help of a towel. "After confirming Rajitha’s death, they dragged the body into a bedroom. After that, the woman went to Bal Reddy’s house and Shashikumar went to his house by locking the doors, leaving the body in the house," the police said. However, Shashi and she returned home soon, and even tried to hang the body to the ceiling fan to make it look like a suicide."They could not succeed as the body was decomposing and emitting a foul smell.  Then, they both decided to dispose off the body by throwing it on a nearby railway track to portray it like a suicide," the police added. Investigation officials said that they had also burnt the bed sheet and ropes which they had used to wrap the body. Police have booked two separate cases; one against the woman and Shashi under Sections 302 (Murder), 201 (Causing disappearance of evidence) and 203 (Giving false information respecting an offence committed) of the IPC, while Shashi was additionally booked under Section 376 (Rape) and other sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, as the girl was a minor when the offence was committed. One car, four cell phones, one towel and one partially burnt blanket have been seized by the police.