A bone-chilling incident of murder came to light in Tilak Nagar, Hyderabad, after a husband allegedly set his wife on fire in front of their children on Wednesday night. The victim has been identified as 26-year-old Chityala Triveni, who worked at a hotel and was burnt alive by her husband in their rented home. According to police, she succumbed to her injuries at Gandhi Hospital at around 4 am. Police arrested her husband, K Venkatesh, a 32-year-old daily-wage labourer, the following evening from Nallakunta.
Triveni’s father, Chityala Appaiah, 48, lodged a complaint with the police and said that the couple originally hailed from Huzur Nagar and had moved to Hyderabad about five years ago. The couple lived with their children, Naresh, 8, and Sathvika, 6, for nearly a year in the rented accommodation in Tialkk Nagar. According to police, the family and neighbours told them that Venkatesh had been accusing his wife of infidelity, and this issue had been going on for years.
Children recall the horror
Nallakunta inspector K Maruti Prasad said that around midnight, Madhu, a neighbour, was returning from work, saw flames coming from Venkatesh’s house and rushed to the scene along with other neighbours. They saw the front door open and Triveni engulfed in fire. She was rushed to the Gandhi hospital but succumbed to her injuries while undergoing treatment. Nallakunta inspector K Maruti Prasad
The couple’s son revealed the details of the horrific incident, according to the police. He told the police that his father woke him up, showed him a bottle of petrol and took the boy outside, saying, “Your mother will die today.”
What followed was harrowing as Venkatesh poured the petrol on his wife and set her ablaze. The inspector further added that “the girl woke up hearing her mother scream and her father run out. She also ran out of the house. She did not sustain any injuries.”
Nallakunta police have registered a case under Section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against Venkatesh and will be produced in court for remand. The body of the victim has been handed over to her family for the final rites after the postmortem.
