Veljan Group founder VC Janardhan Rao stabbed to death by grandson over property dispute

Hyderabad: A 29-year-old youth brutally stabbed his grandfather to death over a property dispute at his residence in Somajiguda here on Thursday night. The incident came to light after the Banjara Hills police arrested the youth on Saturday.

The deceased was identified as Velamati Chandrasekhar Janardhan Rao (86), an industrialist and founder of Veljan Group. Rao was also a philanthropist who made huge donations for the development of Government General Hospital in Eluru and Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) on multiple occasions.

The accused was identified as Kirti Tej, who returned to the city after completing his Master’s degree in the USA.

Accused was demanding fair share of property

According to Banjara Hills police, Janardhan Rao, a native of Eluru in Andhra Pradesh, had been at his residence in Somajiguda for the last few months. Recently, he appointed his elder daughter’s son Sri Krishna as the director of Veljan Group and transferred Rs 4 crore worth of shares to Kirti Tej, the son of his younger daughter Sarojini Devi.

Because of this, Janardhan Rao’s household has witnessed property disputes among the family members for the last few days. On Thursday night, Sarojini Devi accompanied by her son Kirti Tej reached Rao’s residence in Somajiguda. While she went to get coffee, an argument broke out between Teja and Rao over the distribution of his property.

Tej complained he wasn’t getting his fair share. During the altercation, Tej took out a knife and 'attacked' his grandfather, accusing him of being indifferent toward him since childhood and "refusing" to distribute the property to him, the police said

Tej’s mother, who tried to stop him, was also assaulted. She managed to escape with minimal injuries. After killing his grandfather, Tej fled the spot. Upon receiving information about the murder, other family members rushed to the house and found Janaradhan Rao lying in a pool of blood.

Sarojini, who sustained injuries in the altercation has been undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Banjara Hills. A murder case was registered, and the accused was sent for judicial remand. Further investigation is on suspecting that drug addiction may have played a role in Kirti Tej's actions, the police said.

Established in 1965, Veljan has expertise in providing complete solutions for various applications, including shipbuilding, energy, mobile, and industrial segments, according to the company's website.