Police suspect escape of accused in murder of retired IPS officer’s wife; probe underway

Telangana DGP C V Anand, who visited Rays residence on Friday, said in a post on X that offences committed by Nepali domestic workers have become increasingly common, and it is time to verify them through the local police or even consider stopping their employment altogether. Police sources said on Saturday that they suspect the accused left the city via the HyderabadNew Delhi Telangana Express, though the investigation is ongoing to determine the exact escape route.

Investigators suspect that the culprits in the brutal murder of Tanuja, wife of retired IPS officer Vinay Ranjan Ray, fled the city by train from Nampally railway station, even as hectic efforts were underway to apprehend them. Telangana DGP C V Anand, who visited Ray's residence on Friday, said in a post on X that ''offences committed by Nepali domestic workers have become increasingly common, and it is time to verify them through the local police or even consider stopping their employment altogether.'' Police sources said on Saturday that they suspect the accused left the city via the Hyderabad–New Delhi Telangana Express, though the investigation is ongoing to determine the exact escape route. Multiple teams have been deployed to trace and apprehend them. Three persons, apart from the domestic help, Kalpana, are believed to have been involved in the crime. Kalpana had been working in the household for the past year and had been missing since the incident, police said. The family discovered the murder after a worker engaged in maintenance work at the house called Tanuja's daughter, as he did not receive any response from the domestic help. The daughter then went to Tanuja's room and knocked on the door. When there was no response, she looked through a window and found her mother dead, sources said. Tanuja (62) was allegedly killed at her residence in Prashasan Nagar, Jubilee Hills, in the early hours of Friday. Police suspect that a group of Nepali nationals, with the assistance of the domestic help, was involved in the crime. The victim's hands were tied, and her mouth was gagged with a cloth, leading to death by suffocation, police said. The accused allegedly smothered her before fleeing with valuables from the house. Ray, a DG-rank officer who retired from the Andhra Pradesh cadre, was out of station at the time of the incident, while the couple's children were on the upper floor of the house, police said. Special teams have been formed to investigate the case and apprehend the accused. Police in other states, as well as the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), have been alerted. DGP Anand said that crimes involving domestic workers from Nepal have been reported in several metropolitan cities, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. He also stated that coordination challenges have been faced in some cases during attempts to apprehend suspects across the border, though investigations are ongoing. Hyderabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar, who inspected the crime scene on Friday, said that organised gangs are suspected to be involved in property-related offences in different parts of the country. He added that there is no need for panic and advised households employing domestic workers to exercise due diligence and maintain appropriate supervision.