How Amrutha's innocent calls with her mother helped her dad plot Pranay's murder Multiple meetings between the five main accused, fake sim cards, an advance of Rs 16 lakh and a deal for Rs 1 crore, was all that led to the death of Pranay. news Caste Killing 21-year-old Amrutha and Pranay had married in January this year against the wishes of her parents, but she was in constant touch with her mother, ever since she got pregnant. Amrutha would tell her mother about how she was doing and the mother too would advise her to take good rest and eat timely meals. The mother, equally happy to get frequent updates, would pass on the same information to Amrutha's father, Maruthi Rao. But unknown to them, Maruthi Rao had been plotting Pranay's murder for months and used the information from the phone calls to trace Pranay's whereabouts. The last fateful call was on September 13, a day before Pranay's murder and the eve of Vinayaka Chaturthi, when Amrutha informed her mother that she and Pranay were going to Jyothi hospital for a regular check-up. Amrutha's mother passed on the same information to Maruthi Rao. It was in this manner, that the date and location of the murder was set and months of planning culminated in a cold-blooded killing in broad daylight. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Nalgonda Superintendent of Police AV Ranganath detailed the conspiracy behind the crime. Multiple meetings between the five main accused at various places in the state, fake sim cards, an advance of Rs 16 lakh and a deal for Rs 1 crore, was all that led to the death of Pranay. The accused In the FIR registered by Miryalaguda police, Maruthi Rao was named as Accused No 1, while the killer, Subash Sharma, was named as Accused No 2. The police said that Accused No 3, Asgar Ali - was an accused in earlier cases, as he was convicted by a court earlier in the murder case of former Gujarat Home Minister Haren Pandya, but was later acquitted. "Accused No 4 Mohammed Bari, a native of Nalgonda and a resident of Malakpet in Hyderabad, knew Amrutha's father Maruthi Rao since 2011 ever since he took his help in settling a land dispute," Ranganath said. The police said that Bari and Sharma had met in Rajahmundry while they were both serving time in prison for different crimes. Accused No 5, Abdul Kareem, is a Transport Operator in Miryalguda, while Accused No 6 was Sravan, Maruthi's relative. Maruthi Rao's driver, Shiva,was named Accused No 7. The police said that while Sravan and Shiva knew of the crime being hatched, it was the other five, who were the main accused. The plan "The murder plot began in June-July, when Bari and Maruthi Rao got into contact into each other and began talking over the phone. In the first week of July, Karim came into the picture and the plan to kill Pranay was hatched. The same was communicated to Bari and Asgar," Ranganath said. The police said that Karim, Asgar and Bari later met frequently in Hyderabad and Nalgonda, to work out the execution of the plan. "In the first week of July, Asgar and Bari met in Nalgonda's Auto Nagar and later met Karim and Maruthi Rao. They sat in a car and spoke and began setting an amount for the murder. The demand was first for Rs 2.5 crore but they later settled for Rs 1 crore. While the killers asked for an advance of Rs 50 lakh, they settled on Rs 16 lakh. The same day, they left in the car and showed Pranay's house to Bari and Asgar," Ranganath said. The next important meeting was on July 9, when Karim took 16 lakh from Maruthi and left for Hyderabad from Miryalguda. The money was handed over to the others in a car near Ramoji Film City, the police said. Maruthi Rao was then informed that the advance had been received. Bari took Rs 8 lakh, while Asgar took Rs 6 lakh and Rs 1 lakh was taken by Karim from the advance, the police added. Planning and execution It was after the advance was given that the planning began. The police said that Bari bought a two-wheeler with a fake number plate and documents and three sim cards using bogus names, while Asgar bought three phones. "The first attempt to murder Pranay actually took place on August 14. They tried to corner the couple near a beauty parlour and thought they will kill Pranay over there. However, since another relative was present, they didn't understand which one of them was Pranay, and so they called it off. Bari, Asgar and Subash Sharma was there that day," Ranganath said. Another crucial date according to the police was August 17, when the couple decided to hold a wedding reception. "This had hurt Maruthi even more as it would become public that his daughter had done an inter-caste marriage and the entire town would know. So, he speeded up the process. Between August 16 to 23, he got admitted to a hospital in Hyderabad for an operation because he wanted to stay away from Miryalaguda," Ranganath added. In the first week of September, the police said that another plan was hatched to kidnap Amrutha and kill Pranay. Four people were hired from Hyderabad but seeing that they were alcoholics, Asgar called off the plan because they were 'not serious', the police said. On September 13, after the phone call between Amrutha and her mother, the police said that Maruthi informed Bari about the hospital visit, who in turn informed Asgar, who planned the crime with Subash. The murder On September 14, Asgar travelled in an auto and met Subash at one point, following which the duo travelled together and followed the couple in a car. Asgar stayed a little distance away from the spot, giving directions to Subash, who then executed the murder. The police said that Maruthi had left to Nalgonda two hours before the murder, to create an alibi at the Joint Collectorate in the town. "Near Vemulapally, he stopped his car and simply tried to strike up an unnecessary conversation with some officials at the government office, to show that he was not present at the murder spot. However, it did not work out for him," the police Superintendent said. The police also said that Bari was not in Miryalaguda on the day of murder and he left for the outskirts of Hyderabad. After receiving Asgar's call that the job was done, he conveyed the same to Maruthi Rao. Asgar was also set to receive the rest of the money after this. Post-murder After committing the crime, the police said that Subash even changed his shirt when he crossed the Miryalaguda flyover bypass and took a different route from the one they had taken to arrive at the hospital. "They used a different escape route through Nagarjunsagar road to Nalgonda, before they abandoned the car at a government hospital. Subash then left to Bengaluru from where he took a bus to Patna. All this is corroborated with various agencies and we could successfully crack the case soon and catch all the accused," Ranganath told the media. "The original plan was for Maruthi Rao to surrender, along with Subash, so that the other three accused would slowly dissociate themselves from the crime. However, as their names started getting flashed on TV, they got worried and switched off their phones. Despite all this, we managed to nab all of them from different places over the course of four days with the help of CCTV footage and technical evidence," he added. The police also said that Maruthi Rao would only be in contact with Bari and Kareem would facilitate the conversation, ensuring that there was no direct contact with Asgar and Subash.<doc-sep>‘Casteism killed Pranay, we must uproot caste’: 21-year-old Amrutha vows to fight Pranay was murdered in broad daylight on September 14, and his wife, Amrutha, has alleged that her father and uncle masterminded the crime. news Caste Killing A pall of gloom has descended over Muthireddy Kunta in Telangana’s Miryalaguda. The streets which resonated with the slogans of ‘Jai Bhim’ and ‘Johar Pranay’ on Sunday evening now were shrouded in silence. The streets leading to Pranay’s house are the quietest of all, except for a few neighbours standing around speaking in low voices. Several well-wishers and friends continue to visit his residence and pay their respects to the large photo of the 24-year-old hung inside the house. It has been three days since the brutal murder of Pranay Perumalla Kumar, a Dalit from Miryalaguda, who was hacked to death in broad daylight on Friday, for marrying Amrutha Varshini, a Vaishya (a caste group categorised as Forward). Amrutha sits with her in-laws, Premalatha and Balaswamy, also known as Balakrishna, near Pranay’s portrait. While Amrutha’s in-laws look devastated, she maintains a brave face. She occasionally breaks down, but regains her composure quickly. The 21-year-old has accused her own father and uncle of masterminding the murder. "How can someone be killed for loving and marrying as per their choice? Who gave him (her father) the right to kill Pranay?" she asks, talking to TNM. "We can uproot caste system only through inter-caste marriages and by encouraging such marriages. It should happen the way BR Ambedkar envisioned it and we must challenge the brutal and inhuman caste system.” Amrutha has reiterated time and again that she will ensure Pranay gets justice. "I will fight till the end to get justice for Pranay. He always said that caste differences among people should end and casteism should go. There should never be a situation where a person faces difficulties because of their caste. That is what I will fight for now," she says. Pranay was hacked to death on September 14 as the couple left a hospital where Amrutha had a routine consultation with her gynaecologist. She is five months pregnant with their baby. The horrific murder which took place in broad daylight sparked anger across the state. Despite this, there has however been a section of people on social media who have attempted to justify the murder, with some even saying that Pranay had 'lured' Amrutha, because her father was rich. Responding to this, Amrutha says, "Even though the brutal murder was caught on camera and went viral, there are several people who are justifying it. How can human beings make such comments? This only shows that there are many terrible people in society like my father, who continue to support his casteist intentions." "The reason for this murder is only casteism. When such kinds of murders take place, the legal system is weak and it may take up to 5 to 10 years to get justice. I demand that the punishment should be strong and swift. Separate fast track courts must be established to tackle such cases," she adds. Amrutha has already expressed her wish to stay with Pranay's family and has vowed never to go back to her parents. Soon after her husband’s murder, Amrutha told a local media outlet between tears, “If I have a reason to live and meaning to life now, it is only my baby. I will see Pranay in the child and live the rest of my life. I will raise our child.” The police have reportedly detained Amrutha's father Maruthi Rao, her uncle Shravan Kumar and a few others in the case. Maruthi Rao allegedly paid Rs 10 lakh to the hired killer and the police are expected to hold a press meet soon, to reveal further details about the investigation. Read: 'Amrutha is our daughter, will stay with us': Caste crime victim Pranay's parents<doc-sep>Diverse users seen posting photos, videos and information on Facebook page Amrutha Varshini, wife of Perumalla Pranay Kumar, who was allegedly killed for honour last week, took to Facebook on Monday, launching her fight against injustice. The page that she titled ‘Justice for Pranay’ was created on Monday afternoon, had about 6,000 people following at around 5 p.m., and by 7 p.m. the supporter’s count exceeded 16,000 ‘likes and follows’. “Don’t worry Pranay...U r not alone..Not only me u are in the heart of crores of people.. Many people are fighting for justice (sic),” she wrote. Amrutha, earlier on Sunday, had said she would approach a large number of people to fight against caste. The diverse page users, from across the State and outside, were seen posting photos, videos and information. Users from several districts posted candlelight procession pictures and rallies against the killing. Information on creating a twitter trend with a handle #SayNoToCaste starting 6 p.m., against caste feelings was another. Students of the Ambedkar Students’ Association of Hyderabad Central University remembered the leader of Self-Respect Movement Periyar E.V. Ramaswamy on his 140th birth anniversary on Monday, and quoted: “Marriages should culminate on account of the wishes of the couple.” The page that became ‘instant like and follow’ hours after its creation, also was platform to vent ire against casteism. The page faced several challenges in the evening. “There are multiple accounts by the same name in combinations, and there is slander and negative trolling too,” Pranay’s cousin told The Hindu.<doc-sep>
Father was asking me to abort before they killed Pranay, says wife Amrutha Amrutha said the last time her father asked her to get an abortion was on Wednesday, two days before Pranay’s brutal murder. news Crime Amrutha Varshini, wife of Pranay Perumalla, who was hacked to death in a case of caste killing on Friday in Telangana’s Miryalaguda town, said that her father repeatedly pressured her to terminate her pregnancy. Speaking to local media, Amrutha said, “I am a single child and ever since I married Pranay in January this year, my father rarely spoke to me. When he did, he would only call and ask me to return home or terminate the pregnancy.” She also said that the last time he asked her to get an abortion was on Wednesday, two days before the gruesome murder. “He said ‘you terminate the pregnancy and live without children for three years and I’ll accept the marriage’. I told him that I won’t kill my baby irrespective of what he feels. I think he planned this because he didn’t want the baby to be a problem after they killed Pranay, so that they could take me back easily,” Amrutha said. “If I have a reason to live and meaning to life now, it is only my baby. I will see Pranay in the child and live the rest of my life. I will raise our child,” she added as she broke down. Speaking about the attack, Amrutha said, “We knew what kind of people my parents were and we did fear that they may beat Pranay and drag me away or harm us in some way, but we never thought they would do it in full public view.” “All those who are involved should be punished. It is not enough if they go to jail, there they will be alive. They should die in a way that they killed Pranay, so that such caste killings never happen again. Pranay’s dream was that casteism should not exist and I will fight for his dream,” she added. 23-year-old Pranay was hacked to death by a hired killer in a case of caste killing when he was coming out of hospital with Amrutha after a regular pregnancy check-up. The couple had married in January this year despite strong opposition from Amrutha’s parents. A large number of people, including leaders of Dalit organisations, attended Pranay’s funeral on Sunday held at a church in Miryalaguda in Nalgonda district, about 150 km from Hyderabad. The funeral procession began after Pranay’s brother arrived from Ukraine. The murder has evoked public outrage, even as the police have reportedly detained Amrutha’s father Maruthi Rao and her uncle Shravan Kumar among others. Maruthi Rao allegedly paid Rs 10 lakh to the hired killer. Calling her father a devil, Amrutha vowed never to go back to her parents, saying she would live with Pranay’s parents. With IANS inputs