Khammam: Wife kills husband, disguises it as hit and run for insurance payout; 4 held

Khammam: A 42-year-old auto driver was allegedly murdered in a staged road accident by his wife and her associates for insurance money in Khammam district.

Police have arrested four accused in connection with the crime and identified the wife as the prime conspirator.

Body found along Highway

The crime came to light on March 2 when locals discovered an unidentified body lying along the Khammam–Kuravi main road near MVP Palem in Khammam Rural mandal. Police shifted the body to the government hospital for post-mortem with the assistance of local volunteers.

The deceased was later identified as Chaganti Ravi (42), a resident of Gandhinagar in Khammam city. Following suspicions raised by his relatives, a complaint was lodged alleging the involvement of his wife, Chaganti Prasanthi, and her relative Desapoyina Srinivas.

Troubled marriage and insurance policy

According to investigators, Ravi and Prasanthi had been married for two decades and had two children. Ravi worked as an auto driver and was reportedly addicted to alcohol, often picking quarrels with his wife. He was also said to be suffering from health problems.

Believing that her husband’s deteriorating health might soon lead to his death, Prasanthi allegedly took out a life insurance policy in his name. However, when he continued to live beyond her expectations, she is said to have hatched a plan to eliminate him and claim the insurance amount.

Murder disguised as road accident

Police said that on March 2, Srinivas (accused number one) took Ravi in an auto, made him consume alcohol, and abandoned him in an inebriated state on the outskirts of MVP Palem.

As part of the pre-planned conspiracy, Joghi Rajkumar (accused number 2) allegedly drove a car owned by Joghi Venkatesh (accused number 3) and hit Ravi from behind, killing him on the spot. Joghi Rambabu (accused number 4) of Chilukkayalapadu reportedly assisted in carrying out the plan.

The accused attempted to portray the incident as a hit-and-run case to mislead investigators.

Arrests and further probe

Khammam Rural Circle Inspector Mushkaraju said four accused have been arrested and remanded to judicial custody. Prasanthi, identified as the key conspirator, will be taken into custody shortly.

Police are continuing their investigation to ascertain whether any others were involved and to gather further evidence in the case.