Cyberabad police crack murder case: Man arrested for killing woman over blackmail
Secunderabad: After a month-long investigation and analysis of over 50 CCTV footages within a 10-kilometer radius of the crime scene, Cyberabad Police arrested a 36-year-old man, the primary suspect in a woman’s murder. The accused was arrested in Secunderabad during a medical visit on Saturday morning.
The accused has been identified as A. Praveen Kumar, was in Secunderabad for a medical visit on Saturday morning. He is a former reporter and resident of Utnoor Village, Adilabad District, and had known the victim, B. Sharadha, since 2013 when she visited his cell phone shop.
According to N. Koti Reddy, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Medchal Zone, the murder occurred on September 23, 2024, at the victim’s residence in Mallampet. Investigation revealed that the accused allegedly killed the woman over blackmail threats. Further probe revealed that their initial acquaintance developed into a close relationship, frequently communicating over WhatsApp and meeting in person. In 2020, the deceased moved to Hyderabad. In the past year, she began blackmailing him for money, threatening to reveal their relationship to his family and file legal charges to ruin his reputation. Fearing these threats, the accused paid her Rs 2,00,000 a year ago.
On the day of the incident, Kumar traveled from Utnoor to Mallampet to confront Sharadha about compromising videos. During their meeting, he asked her to return his videos, but she demanded more money. The situation escalated, resulting in Kumar strangling her to death. In an attempt to mislead investigators, he staged a robbery by taking her jewelry, including a chain and earrings.
“The breakthrough in the case came through extensive technical investigation, with the CAT Analysis team examining 50-60 CCTV footages within a 10-kilometer radius. Police have seized a phone and the deceased’s Aadhaar card from the accused,” said N. Koti Reddy.
The case is registered under relevant sections of BNS at Dundigal Police Station, Cyberabad commissionerate. Further investigation is underway.
