August 25, 2025
NEW DELHI – In a gut-wrenching incident, a man in Medchal Malkajgiri district near Hyderabad killed his pregnant wife, severed her head, chopped the body into pieces, and dumped them in the Musi River, police said on Sunday.
The accused, identified as Mahender Reddy, worked as a driver with a ride-sharing app. He had married Swati, 25, a call centre employee, only a year-and-a-half ago.
According to the police, the accused killed his wife at their house in Boduppal on Saturday evening.
He allegedly used an axe blade to cut her head, hands and legs. He then put the body parts in a plastic bag and dumped them into the Musi river the same night.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Malkajgiri, under the Rachakonda Police Commissionerate, P. V. Padmaja, said that the accused made three trips to the river to dispose of the body parts.
The DCP said Mahender Reddy later informed his sister-in-law Chandrakala over the phone that Swati had gone missing.
Chandrakala grew suspicious as she knew about the frequent fights between Mahender Reddy and her sister.
She alerted her maternal uncle, Goverdhan Reddy, who resides in the Dilsukhnagar area in the city.
When Goverdhan Reddy went to Mahender Reddy’s house, the accused told him that Swati had left the house and did not return.
They went to the police station lodge a missing person complaint. However, while registering the complaint, the police officer at Medipally Police Station asked Mahender Reddy a few questions.
The officer grew suspicious of his incoherent replies and thoroughly interrogated him. He confessed to the crime and revealed all the details.
The DCP said they registered a case and arrested Mahender Reddy.
Forensic experts and the clues team gathered clues from Mahender Reddy’s house on Sunday. They found only the torso of the victim. The same was sent for the DNA test.
Police were searching for body parts in the Musi River with the help of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).
Swati had earlier registered a case of harassment against husband Reddy but took back after police counselling.
(With inputs from IANS)