Three months on, key suspects in Tanuja Ranjan murder yet to be arrested

Three months after Tanuja Ranjan was murdered at her Jubilee Hills residence, the alleged mastermind and key suspects remain at large. Hyderabad police have arrested two suspects and recovered some stolen property, while efforts are underway to trace those believed to have fled Nepal.

Hyderabad: Three months have passed since the brutal murder of Tanuja Ranjan, wife of retired IPS officer Vinay Ranjan Ray, at their residence in Prashasan Nagar, Jubilee Hills, but the prime suspect and several members of the murder-for-gain gang are yet to be arrested.

Though Hyderabad police have arrested two suspects and recovered part of the stolen property, the alleged mastermind and key assailants are believed to have fled to Nepal.

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Tanuja was murdered in the early hours of May 8 when her husband was away in Bengaluru. According to police, domestic help Kalpana, also known as Dharma in Nepal records, allegedly facilitated the entry of her associates into the house. Tanuja was allegedly tied up and gagged during the robbery and died of suffocation. The gang escaped with gold ornaments and cash.

Soon after the incident, 10 special teams comprising personnel from the law and order, crime, Task Force and cybercrime wings were formed. The gang reportedly travelled from Nampally railway station towards Kazipet before splitting into different groups to evade detection. Police later suspected that Kalpana and some of her associates crossed into Nepal.

Two suspects, Sunil Periyar and Dileep Biswakarma, were arrested in connection with the case, and some of the stolen gold ornaments were recovered. However, Kalpana and key associates, including Ganesh and Suresh Shahi, remain beyond the reach of police.

Officials said that teams were sent to the Nepal border and other States to trace the suspects, but their efforts proved futile, as the gang is suspected to have crossed over into Nepal through the porous border.

The delay in arresting the prime suspects has raised questions over the investigation, despite the murder occurring in a high-security locality.

Former CBI Director M Nageshwar Rao has also expressed concern over the delay. In a communication, he pointed out that his batchmate Vinay Ranjan Ray’s wife had been brutally murdered at their Prashasan Nagar residence and questioned whether the case was receiving attention and urgency.

Police are now planning to approach the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs to take up the matter with Nepal authorities and facilitate efforts to trace and bring back the suspects, an official said.