Bihar Police have arrested the people behind the killing of 23-year-old Pranay Perumalla Kumar in Telangana. The police said that the killer belonged to a gang from Bihar. They were hired by a group in Nalgonda with alleged connections to ISI to kill Pranay.
The police have arrested seven people in relation to the murder. Among them are Amrutha Varshini's father Maruthi Rao and her uncle Sravan Kumar.
On September 14, Pranay, a Dalit Christian and his pregnant wife Amrutha Varshini were leaving the hospital after her check-up when an assailant came up behind the couple and attacked Pranay with a machete. The hospital CCTV caught the attacker hacking Pranay to death.
The police went on to say that the killers were allegedly paid Rs 1 crore to kill Pranay. He was paid Rs 18 lakh in advance and was promised the rest after the deed was done.
"We were always worried that there is a threat from my family and even went into hiding for some time, but we did not anticipate cold-blooded murder," Amrutha told NDTV.
She went on to say, "My father has powerful political connections. He used political leaders to put pressure on me and Pranay and his family." She also said that her uncle had filed false cases against her father-in-law.
Amrutha Varshini's family belongs to the Vaishya community which is considered a forward caste. Her father is a multi-millionaire and is considered as an influential person in the area.
Her father wanted her to abort the baby to which she refused.
Amrutha said, "I want the accused to be punished. I want a statue in honour of my husband so that people will know about caste killings like this and be warned."
A close aide of Maruthi Rao, Muhammed Abdul Bari, is also being investigated in relation to the case. The New Indian Express has stated that Bari was behind the killing and was allegedly offered Rs 1 crore by Maruthi Rao.
Muhammed Abdul Bari is known for his involvement with the murder of Gujarat minister Haren Pandya for which he was jailed in Sabarmati for nine years.
Local politicians are also being investigated in relation to this case. Congress MLA Karim has been suspended due to his alleged involvement in the case, according to TNIE.
