HYDERABAD: In less than a week, another elderly couple — an 80-year-old former bank employee and his 75-year-old wife — were found murdered at their residence in Sai Baba Colony in Amberpet. Police suspect it could be a case of murder for gain.
Incidentally, it came to light on a day police cracked the double murder at a farmhouse in Kandukur and arrested a person for the gruesome killing of an elderly couple.
Amberpet police said former bank employee Linga Reddy and his wife Urmila were found in a pool of blood at their residence on the ground floor of their multi-storied building on Saturday afternoon. Since Thursday night, the family members failed to reach the couple on phone. On Saturday, their son-in-law, who was in Bhopal on official duty, asked his friend to visit his father-inlaw Linga Reddy’s house as they were not answering phone calls.
“When he went to their house, the couple was found in a pool of blood. Their bodies were in a decomposed state,” deputy commissioner of police, East Zone, B Bala Swamy told TOI. The front door was locked from the in side, and it was through a side door that the assailant gained entry and exited the house.
The couple, who owned the building, has three daughters, and they all are in the US.
Their eldest daughter went to the US recently to meet her siblings. Her husband, however, was in India, but went to Bhopal on official work a couple of days ago.
Locals and the tenants recalled that the senior citizens were known for being extremely cautious. They used to lock their house from the inside by 7pm and made sure they did not open it afterwards due to security reasons.
Police are expecting the couple’s son-in-law to return to Hyderabad at the earliest.
CCTVs in vicinity being verified: Cops
Prima facie, police found that US $2,000-3,000 were missing besides gold ornaments of Urmila. The deceased had injuries on their heads, and police suspect that a rod was used to attack them. The couple was last seen on Thursday afternoon. Police suspect that murder might have taken place late in the evening. Police reportedly spoke to locals, the car driver of the couple’s son-in-law, and others. As there were no CCTVs at the house, police were verifying CCTVs of nearby residences.