How UK-based Hyderabad pharmacist poisons family with arsenic to avenge wife’s divorce notice

Hyderabad: A 45-year-old United Kingdom-based Hyderabad pharmacist hatched a plan to kill his estranged wife and her family members by poisoning them with arsenic-laced salt and chili powder.

The family members fell ill and the pharmacist's mother-in-law (60) died while undergoing treatment in June. The pharmacist bore a grudge against his wife, who filed for divorce following marital disputes.

Based on the complaint filed by the man's wife at Miyapur police station here, a case of murder, attempt to murder, and criminal conspiracy under relevant sections of IPC was registered. Six persons including his friends and his wife's cousin, were arrested on August 18, while the pharmacist is on the run, police said.

The complainant's marriage was solemnised with the pharmacist in 2018 and it was the second wedding for both of them.

After marriage, the couple stayed in the city. After some days, her husband started mentally harassing her. Later, he left for the UK. He told her to come to the UK and promised to take care of her.

The complainant went to the UK along with her daughter. But within days of her arrival, he again started harassing her both physically and mentally. Later she lodged a police complaint against her husband in the UK. The woman moved out of her husband's place and stayed separately as she sent a divorce notice to him.

Since the complainant's brother's marriage was fixed in June this year in Hyderabad, she and her daughter arrived in India. Her relatives also came to visit their house for the wedding. The pharmacist was also in Hyderabad for the wedding.

Based on the complaint, police said her relatives suffered from diarrhoea, stomach ache, and vomiting, and her mother was admitted to a hospital where she died while undergoing treatment.

In July, her brother, father, and sister-in-law, who stayed in the same house, suffered from diarrhoea, stomach ache, and vomiting and they were all admitted to a hospital.

A few days ago, the complainant and her daughter both suffered from diarrhea. She went to the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh for treatment. The doctor after examining said some unknown persons might have poisoned her with arsenic.

"The complainant and all her family members, who ate food in their house, underwent tests. The reports showed that they were all having huge arsenic levels in their body," the police said.

The woman suspected her relative and the apartment watchman's son, and on enquiry came to know that her husband to kill her and her family members had sent his friends, and with the help of her cousin, they mixed arsenic in salt and chilli powder in the complainant's house.

Subsequently, she complained against her husband, who had gone back to the UK by then.

Inputs from PTI