Eight people, including a newlywed woman and her lover, were arrested in connection with the murder of a land surveyor in Gadwal district of Telangana, the police said on Thursday.
The police claim to have cracked the case, reminiscent of the recent Meghalaya honeymoon murder, within a week of receiving a complaint alleging that Tejeshwar (32) went missing.
Tejeshwar left home on June 17 morning but did not return. His brother lodged a complaint with the police on June 18.
Preliminary investigations, based on CCTV footage, revealed that Tejeshwar had left in a car with known persons.
His body was later found near Panyam town in Kurnool district of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.
Providing details of the case, the police stated that the main accused, Tirumala Rao, a married man working as a manager at a housing finance company in Kurnool, had developed a relationship with a woman sweeper employed at his office.
He helped her obtain housing loans and meet her financial needs, which led to an illicit relationship.
He also developed a similar relationship with her daughter Aishwarya (23) and allegedly promised to marry her.
However, Aishwarya got engaged to Tejeshwar in December 2024.
"After this, it became difficult for Tirumala Rao and Aishwarya to continue their relationship. As a result, they both planned to kill Tejeshwar by offering a contract (supari) to people they knew," the release said.
Tirumala Rao contacted Kummari Nagesh, a commisison agent who makes a living facilitating home loans.
Around six months ago, Tirumala Rao confided in Nagesh and his associate that he was in love with Aishwarya and she was engaged to Tejeshwar from Gadwal. He expressed his desire to "do something about Tejeshwar".
Rao provided Tejeshwar's phone number to Nagesh and asked him to befriend Tejeshwar under the pretext of purchasing land and "eventually eliminate him".
In return, Tirumala Rao assured to support Nagesh financially and promised to fastrack his loan-related files.
As part of the plan, Tirumala Rao also gave a GPS tracker to Nagesh and his associate, which they secretly attached to Tejeshwar's bike to monitor his movements.
On May 18 this year, Aishwarya got married to Tejeshwar under pressure from her mother and other family members despite her reluctance, the police said.
Following the wedding, the main accused pressured the alleged contract killers to eliminate Tejeshwar by any means, assuring them any amount of money they demanded.
During this time, the duo allegedly discussed the Meghalaya honeymoon murder case and analysed the mistakes made by the accused in that incident.
Believing that they could avoid similar errors, they planned to execute the murder without getting caught, the police said.
Subsequently, on June 17, Nagesh and his two associates allegedly killed Tejeshwar in a car with sickle.
The main accused Tirumala Rao was involved in disposing of the body, according to the release.
Police investigation revealed that Tirumala Rao paid Rs 2 lakh to the three men involved in the murder.
On Thursday morning, during a vehicle check and surveillance operation, the main accused and the three contract killers were apprehended while traveling in a car en route to Hyderabad.
Based on their statements, Aishwarya was arrested in Gadwal. The other arrested persons include Aishwarya's mother and the father of the main accused.
A police official said efforts would be made to complete the investigation and the trial expeditiously, possibly within six months.
As part of the plans, Tirumala Rao and Aishwarya had even planned to leave for Ladakh or a far-off place, the police added.
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