HYDERABAD: A 29-year-old software professional was allegedly murdered by her ex-husband inside her apartment in Vanasthalipuram on Wednesday, police said. The accused, who had earlier worked in Canada, was taken into custody after a brief standoff in which he allegedly threatened to set the room on fire with a lighter he was carrying. The victim, identified as Sunitha (29), was working from home at her fourth-floor flat in Green City Colony when the accused, Devarakonda Mahesh, barged into the residence around noon. According to investigators, Mahesh went straight to the room where Sunitha was present, locked it from inside, and attacked her with knives. “Mahesh got into a heated argument with her and, within minutes, stabbed her multiple times on various parts of her body, including her head,” said T Mahesh, inspector, Vanasthalipuram. Sunitha succumbed to her injuries on the spot. At the time of the incident, Sunitha’s mother-in-law was on the terrace drying clothes, while her brother-in-law was in another room. Family members rushed to the victim’s room after hearing her screams and found her lying in a pool of blood, police said. When officers arrived at the scene, Mahesh had allegedly poured petrol inside the room and locked himself in the washroom. “He threatened to ignite the petrol using a lighter he was carrying. After persuasion by police, he came out and was taken into custody,” an official said. Police later said they had to break open the bathroom door to apprehend him. Sunitha’s current husband, in his complaint, claimed that she was three months pregnant. Police said Sunitha and Mahesh, both software employees, were married in 2022 and briefly lived together in Canada. “Differences arose between them soon after. Sunitha returned to India within days and subsequently filed for divorce,” police said. The couple mutually divorced in 2024. Investigators revealed that Sunitha had also filed a domestic violence case against Mahesh in Maharashtra. Following the complaint, a Look-out Circular (LOC) was issued against him. When Mahesh returned to India last year after his mother’s death, he was intercepted at the airport, and his passport was seized. “Since he could not return to Canada because of the LOC, he was deeply disappointed. He also held a grudge against Sunitha for filing the case and for remarrying earlier this year,” said B Anuradha, DCP, L B Nagar. Police said Mahesh had been residing in his native place in Peddapalli district without employment. Over the past two months, he allegedly tracked Sunitha’s address through her social media account, moved to Hyderabad, and stayed at a hostel while planning the attack. “As per his plan, he arrived at the apartment carrying a bag containing two knives, a drilling machine, a chainsaw, and a five-litre petrol can,” police said. CCTV footage aired by local television channels showed the accused walking along the apartment corridor with the bag shortly before the crime. A case of murder has been registered against Mahesh.
