Photo leads police to accused in nurse murder
HYDERABAD: CCTV footage and phone photo strengthen suspicion against mechanic
Police arrested Mohammad Sanavulla, 34, in connection with the murder and rape of a 21-year-old nurse at the Primecare Hospital quarters in Tukkuguda under the Pahadi Shareef police station limits.
Shamshabad task force police detained Sanavulla after CCTV footage from around the crime scene showed his suspicious movements. Police said a photograph of the nurse found in his phone strengthened their suspicion and helped establish his connection with the crime.
Deputy commissioner of police B Rajesh announced Sanavulla’s arrest on Monday, saying he confessed during preliminary questioning.
Mechanic watched nurses through hospital quarters window
Sanavulla, a native of Rudauli Bachwara village in Bihar, came to Hyderabad three years ago and learnt mechanical work at a shop in Uppal. The shop owner also runs Sri Bhagyalakshmi shop in Tukkuguda, where Sanavulla had been working for the past three months.
Police said Sanavulla had a habit of consuming alcohol and watching pornographic videos on his phone. From a grill at the rear of the mechanic shop, he could clearly see a window of the Primecare Hospital quarters.
He allegedly used to watch the movements of nurses staying in the quarters through the window and had taken a photograph of one of them on his phone.
The victim’s colleague, who is from Kerala, had recently gone to her hometown for the Onam festival. Police said Sanavulla noticed that the nurse was alone.
Around 12.30am on Friday, he allegedly went out and entered the nurse’s room through the window. When he allegedly attempted to sexually assault her, she resisted and raised an alarm.
Police said Sanavulla pressed her mouth with his left hand and strangled her with his right hand. The nurse allegedly bit his finger while trying to defend herself and scratched his hand and chest with her nails, but died shortly afterwards.
Police said Sanavulla then allegedly removed her clothes and raped her before leaving through the same route and returning to his shop, where he slept.
CCTV analysis helps task force identify suspect
Task force personnel led by additional DCP K Srinivas and local inspector P Lakshminarayana Reddy began investigating the case.
They first analysed CCTV footage from areas around Primecare Hospital. Police said Sanavulla was seen riding a two-wheeler back and forth four times between midnight on Friday and 3am on Saturday.
He was subsequently included in the list of suspects, detained and questioned. Police said his answers were inconsistent, following which they seized his phone.
The photograph of the nurse found in the phone’s gallery, along with videos stored on the device, further strengthened the suspicion against him. Task force personnel then questioned Sanavulla, after which police said he confessed to the crime and arrested him.
Police found hundreds of pornographic videos on his phone, officials said.
Officials also said Sanavulla’s wife was pregnant and that he had left her in Bihar a few days earlier before returning to Hyderabad.
Police are preparing to conduct a crime-scene reconstruction as part of the investigation.
Nurse’s mother seeks strict punishment for accused
The nurse’s mother appealed for strict punishment for those responsible for her daughter’s death and said no other mother should suffer a similar loss.
“We have half an acre of land. Her father died when she was five. I worked as a daily-wage labourer and raised my children. She used to tell me that once she completed her education and got a job, she would take care of me,” she said.
“She kept her word and joined a hospital in Hyderabad in January this year. She earned ₹13,000 a month. After meeting her expenses, she used to send me ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 every month,” she said.
“She would go to work even during festivals because her salary would be cut if she took leave. The day before Rakhi, she called me and said, ‘I did not go to work for a week this month, amma. If I come home now, my salary will be reduced. So I cannot come.'”
“On Rakhi Purnima, she spoke to me on the phone while going to the hostel after finishing her duty. She was upset that she could not tie a rakhi to her brother this year. The next day, I learnt that my daughter had died,” the mother said.
“When I went to Hyderabad, my daughter’s body was wrapped in white cloth and had injuries all over it. They killed my daughter and left her in a pool of blood. Those responsible must be punished severely. No other mother should have to suffer such a loss,” she said.
The nurse’s last rites were performed at Choutigudem in Mulakalapalli mandal of Bhadradri Kothagudem district, her native village, on Monday.
