Two Class 10 students arrested for murder of Nalgonda school principal

Police have solved the murder of Nagarjuna Grammar Concept School principal K Rupa Reddy at Kondamallepally, arresting two Class 10 students from the same school. The investigation involved CCTV footage, questioning of suspects and recovery of cash and other evidence.

Nalgonda: The mystery surrounding the sensational murder of Nagarjuna Grammar Concept School principal K Rupa Reddy at Kondamallepally has been solved, with police arresting two Class 10 students of the same school.

Rupa Reddy was brutally murdered at her house on August 11. The district police formed five special teams under the supervision of the Devarakonda DSP to investigate the case.

---

The police analysed footage from nearly 70 CCTV cameras and questioned more than 80 suspects.

Shortly before the murder, Rupa Reddy was speaking to her aunt over the phone when her final utterance was the word “Babu”. Her phone was switched off soon after. Finding out whom she was referring to became a crucial part of the investigation.

The police later learnt that Rupa Reddy habitually addressed her students as “Babu”. The investigation then shifted its focus to the school students.

There was a slight delay in questioning the students as the school had declared six consecutive days of holidays following the principal’s death.

After the school reopened, police questioned the students individually.

During the inquiry, the police closely monitored some students who had remained absent from school for two days. They paid particular attention to five students who had recently developed a taste for a lavish lifestyle.

After matching CCTV footage from the crime scene with footage of the suspected students, the police narrowed their focus. Acting on reliable information, they intercepted two Class 10 students travelling on a bike near Doniyala crossroads at around 11.30 am on Wednesday. They were travelling from Pendlipakala crossroads towards Mallepalli, the district police said at a press conference.

During questioning and a search, the police found cash concealed in their undergarments. Around Rs 1.54 lakh was recovered. Bloodstains were found on three of the Rs 500 notes, the police said.

When questioned about the source of the cash, the students confessed to murdering Rupa Reddy and stealing the money.

Both accused are Class 10 students at Nagarjuna Grammar Concept School and shared a hostel room. According to police, they were addicted to a lavish lifestyle and secretly used mobile phones in their hostel room to search social media for ways to earn money easily.

Last month, Rupa Reddy caught them with money in the hostel and reprimanded them in the presence of their parents. The students allegedly developed a grudge against her following the incident.

Believing that Rupa Reddy had a large amount of cash, they allegedly searched social media for ways to commit murder without leaving traces. They then planned the murder and stole the cash, the police said.

As part of their plan, the two conducted reconnaissance for a week while taking care not to leave a digital footprint. On August 11, they purchased a knife and gloves.

The investigation revealed that they entered Rupa Reddy’s house through an already open kitchen door and attacked her with the knife. They then took Rs 2.50 lakh from the bedroom, scaled the rear wall and fled through a deserted area.

The accused allegedly discarded the knife, gloves, masks and a mobile phone in bushes. They changed their clothes a short distance from the house, dumped a red hoodie in a drainage canal and left the area.

The police recovered Rs 1.54 lakh in cash, the deceased’s iPhone, the knife used in the murder, gloves, masks and two mobile phones from the accused.