In a shocking case reminiscent of the high-profile Raja Raghuvanshi murder in Meghalaya's Shillong, a similar crime has surfaced from Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district, where a young land surveyor was brutally murdered, allegedly by his wife, her lover, and mother. The case has not only stunned the local community but has also raised disturbing questions about trust, betrayal, and premeditated violence.
Body of missing surveyor found near Kurnool
The victim, 26-year-old Tejeshwar from Gadwal in Telangana, was a licensed land surveyor and part-time dancer. His body was recovered near Panyam town in Kurnool district following an investigation into his mysterious disappearance. He had been reported missing by his family on June 18.
Family suspects wife's role in murder
Tejeshwar had married 23-year-old Aishwarya, a resident of Kurnool, on May 18. However, tensions surfaced soon after the wedding. His family alleged that Aishwarya spent long hours on the phone and was emotionally distant. Initially, assuming she was speaking to her family, they later suspected a secret affair. The family had earlier tried to call off the wedding after learning Aishwarya had disappeared from home for a week before marriage. Despite this, she convinced Tejeshwar to go ahead with the wedding.
A chilling plot: Lover, mother, and a brutal murder plan
Police investigations revealed that Aishwarya had been in a relationship with Tirumal Rao, a married bank manager at the NBFC where her mother, Sujata, worked as a cleaner. Disturbingly, Rao reportedly had intimate relations with both Aishwarya and Sujata. Aishwarya temporarily replaced her mother at the bank during her absence, which is when the affair began.
Within a month of marriage, Aishwarya and Rao, with help from Sujata, allegedly conspired to kill Tejeshwar. On the pretext of a land survey, the trio lured him to Kurnool. While he was seated in the front passenger seat of a car, his throat was slit and he was stabbed in the stomach. The perpetrators even showed the body to Rao over a video call before dumping it into a canal.
A carefully orchestrated crime
Police confirmed that between February and June, Aishwarya and Rao exchanged over 2,000 phone calls. Even during her marriage, Aishwarya stayed glued to her phone, raising suspicions within the family. Rao had initially planned to kill his own wife, with whom he had been married for eight years and had no children. He allegedly took a loan of Rs 20 lakh and booked tickets for himself and Aishwarya to flee to Ladakh after the murder. Rao believed that Tejeshwar’s body would never be recovered, and the crime would go undetected.
8 arrested in the case, including retired cop
As the investigation progressed, the police arrested eight individuals, including Aishwarya, her mother Sujata, Tirumal Rao, and Rao’s father, a retired head constable who allegedly tried to shield his son from the law. Rao, confident that the missing person case would not be solved, had a full escape plan in place, unaware that CCTV footage would capture Tejeshwar travelling toward Kurnool in the suspect vehicle.
Police statement and evidence
SP Srinivas confirmed that Tejeshwar was killed inside the car and that the body was disposed of soon after. Authorities recovered CCTV footage, mobile call records, and other evidence that led to the arrests. The gruesome murder has since shocked the community and brought renewed focus on domestic crimes rooted in betrayal and manipulation.