Hyderabad, Aug 24 (IANS) In yet another horrific crime, a man in Hyderabad killed his wife, chopped the body into pieces, and dumped them in the Musi River, police said on Sunday.

The shocking incident occurred under the limits of Medipally police station in Medchal Malkajgiri district on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

Mahender Reddy, a driver with a ride-sharing app, who had a love marriage with Swati, 25, a call centre employee, only a year-and-a-half ago, killed her at their house in Boduppal on the evening of Saturday.

The accused then used an axe blade to cut head, hands and legs. After placing the body parts in small plastic covers, he dumped them into the Musi River the same night.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Malkajgiri, under the Rachakonda Police Commissionerate, P. V. Padmaja, on Sunday, shared the details of the grisly murder.

To avoid any suspicion, the accused made three trips to the river to dispose of the body parts.

The DCP said Mahender Reddy later informed his sister-in-Chandrakala over the phone that Swati had gone missing. Chandrakala grew suspicious as she knew about the frequent fights between Mahender Reddy and her sister. She alerted her maternal uncle, Goverdhan Reddy, who resides in the Dilsukhnagar area in the city.

When Goverdhan Reddy went to Mahender Reddy’s house, the latter told him that Swati had left the house and did not return. They went to the Uppal police station late on Saturday night to lodge a missing complaint. Since the Balaji Hills area of Boduppal comes under the jurisdiction of the Medipally police station, the police personnel asked them to approach the police station concerned.

While registering the complaint, the officer at Medipally Police Station asked Mahender Reddy a few questions. The officer grew suspicious of his incoherent replies and thoroughly interrogated him. He confessed to the crime and revealed all the details.

DCP said they registered a case and arrested Mahender Reddy.

Forensic experts and the clues team gathered clues from Mahender Reddy’s house on Sunday. They found only the torso of the victim. The same was sent for the DNA test.

Police were searching for body parts in the Musi River with the help of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).

Hailing from Kamareddyguda in Vikarabad district, Mahender Reddy had an inter-caste love marriage with Swati. Two months after the marriage, differences cropped up between them, resulting in frequent quarrels. On a complaint by Swati, police had registered a case of harassment and cruelty against Mahender Reddy. There was reconciliation between them in the presence of elders following counselling by the police.

The brutal killing has revived the memory of the bone-chilling crime by an ex-serviceman under the limits of Meerpet police station of Rachakonda Commissionerate in January this year.

Guru Murthy had killed his wife, Venkata Madhavi, 35, and disposed of her body parts after cooking them. He had dumped the pieces in a lake at Jillelaguda of Meerpet.

Murthy, who was working as an outsourced security guard with the DRDO in Kanchanbagh, had lodged a missing complaint along with his in-laws. Based on suspicion, police interrogated him, during which he confessed to the crime.

–IANS

ms/vd