Polytechnic lecturer, coal miner arrested for murder of engineering student in Peddapalli

Police arrested an outsourced lecturer and a coal miner in connection with the alleged murder of 20-year-old B.Tech graduate Thandra Akshitarani in Godavarikhani. Police said the lecturer allegedly forced her to consume pesticide and attempted to portray the death as suicide

Peddapalli: An outsourced lecturer at a polytechnic college and a coal miner from Mancherial district were arrested on charges of murdering a 20-year-old Dalit woman in Godavarikhani on Sunday. Police seized a car and two mobile phones from the accused.

Briefing the media about the arrests in Godavarikhani, DCP B. Ram Reddy said Jetti Naveen Kumar of Garrepalli in Sultanabad mandal, an outsourced lecturer at an SCCL polytechnic college in Naspur, and Bommakanti Ravi Kumar of Budharkurd in Bellampalli were taken into custody for their alleged roles in the killing of Thandra Akshitarani, a B.Tech graduate, in Godavarikhani on September 12.

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During interrogation, Naveen Kumar reportedly confessed to killing Akshitarani by forcing her to consume pesticide and write a suicide note after taking her for a ride in his car. He admitted to killing her after she allegedly started getting close to Ravi Kumar.

The lecturer allegedly delayed taking the woman to a hospital after she lost consciousness. He called her parents and informed them that she had attempted suicide to cover up the alleged crime. He told investigators that he came into contact with her when she was pursuing a polytechnic diploma at the college in 2022.

Meanwhile, Ravi Kumar reportedly befriended the woman when she was undergoing training at a mine in Godavarikhani. He was alleged to have had a physical relationship with her against her will. Police said the alleged negligence by college officials would also be probed.

Akshitarani died while undergoing treatment in Godavarikhani on September 13. Her parents and members of her community staged a protest the following day, demanding action against the lecturer.