2023 Saroornagar murder case: Hyderabad priest sentenced to life imprisonment

Hyderabad: In one of the sensational case, where a temple priest was arrested for rape and murder of his paramour in 2023, a local court in Hyderabad granted life imprisonment.

A married priest Ayyagari Venkata Surya Sai Krishna in Hyderabad murdered his love Apsara (30) after she demanded to marry her.

A case has been filed in Shamshabad in June 2023.

On Wednesday, the court also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh, of which Rs 9.7 lakh was to be handed to the victim’s family as compensation.

2023 case:

The case dates back to June 2023, when the priest took the woman to Shamshabad under pretense of a trip to Coimbatore, then murdered her, concealed her body in a manhole near the Bangaru Maisamma temple in Saroornagar. She had separated from her husband, who, according to the police, had died by suicide.

A few years ago, she returned from Chennai to her parents' place inHyderabad. She made friends with Sai Krishna, a priest at a temple in Saroornagar, during her regular visits to a temple, and eventually, entered into a relationship him. They were a couple for over a year. The duo also visited temples in Dwaraka, and Somnath temples.

On June 3, 2024, at around 8 pm, Apsara and Krishna started in the car. He made her believe that they are visiting Coimbatore and had lied about booking tickets. He took her in the car to catch a bus at 11 pm. Later, he said he did not book any tickets and took her to goshala in Sultanpally. They had dinner at a fast-food centre.

When they reached Narkuda village, on the outskirts of Shamshabad Rural Police Station, Krishna struck a sleeping Apsara on the head with the stone multiple times, causing her death. He then wrapped her body and drove back to Saroornagar and dumped it a manhole at a deserted location near the Mandal Revenue Officer's (MRO) office behind the temple he worked in.

The police who began the investigation suspected Krishna to be the prime suspect. When the police checked the CCTV footage they found contradictions between the version of the victim's mother and Krishna. When Krishna was questioned, he admitted to killing Apsara because she persistently demanded marriage, which he couldn't comply with due to his existing marriage

A contractor turned priest

Krishna who completed MBA in marketing has been building temples for the past 12 years in the Saroornagar area, and had gained a name as a big-time contractor. He was also running a veda patashala, a goshala, and nitya annadana satram in Hyderabad.

While his primary profession was to take contracts for the construction of temples, he also used to perform rituals in the temple