Medchal: Stepmother kills woman over property share dispute in Boduppal, 3 held
Hyderabad: Medipally police have arrested a woman, her brother-in-law, and his friend for allegedly killing her 26-year-old stepdaughter over a property dispute in Boduppal, Medchal-Malkajgiri district.
The incident occurred in December last year and surfaced after the victim’s father filed a missing person report in April, 2025. Peena Naik, the father of the deceased woman approached the police after he could not contact his daughter for several months.
According to details, Peena Naik, a resident of Srilakshmi Nagar in Boduppal, who works at Osmania University, married his first wife about 30 years ago. The couple had a son and a daughter. A few years after marriage, marital differences cropped up between the couple and they got separated.
In 2003, Naik married Lalitha, his second wife. As per the mutual agreement, Naik agreed to raise his daughter Maheshwari while the son was given in his mother’s care. Naik also has a daughter from his second marriage.
After completing her B.Sc. (Nursing), Maheshwari took a job in a private hospital. During this time, she met a man and they both got married. The marriage did not last long and ended in divorce. Last November, Naik arranged a second marriage for Maheshwari and decided to give one of his two houses in Boduppal to his daughter as a wedding gift.
However, Naik’s decision caused friction in the family as his second wife Lalitha strongly opposed the idea of giving a share in his property to her step daughter Maheshwari. After an argument with her husband, Lalitha allegedly contacted her brother, Banoth Ravi, a CRPF jawan from Suryapet district and together they decided to get rid of Maheshwari.
On December 7, while Naik was away for work, Lalitha allegedly strangled her step daughter with the scarf with the help of two accomplices Ravi and his friend Veeranna. They then placed her body in a gunny bag and buried it near Vangamarthi village in Nalgonda district.
When Naik returned home and asked about his daughter, Lalitha told her husband that Maheshwari had eloped with someone else because she was not happy with the arranged marriage. She also advised Naik against pursuing her as it would only bring shame to the family. Naik believed her and did not report the matter to the police.
However, after four months without any communication from his daughter, Naik filed a missing person report at Medipally police station on April 2. The police registered a case of missing person and examined the CCTV footage of several areas as part of the investigation process. The police suspected Lalitha’s involvement in it. During questioning, Lalitha, Ravi, and Veeranna reportedly confessed to the crime and revealed the location of the body.
The police team located the place where the body was buried, exhumed it and sent it for post-mortem at the Suryapet government hospital. The body was subsequently handed over to the family. The three suspects were arrested and remanded to judicial custody.
