Thirumalayapalem man detained after wife found dead and assault video goes viral

On Friday morning, a 28-year-old woman named R Meenakshi was found dead in her home at Gol Thanda in Thirumalayapalem, on the outskirts of Khammam. Following the discovery of her body, her 32-year-old husband, R Shivaji, was detained by the local police. The detention occurred after the victim's family alleged murder and an old video of Shivaji brutally assaulting her with a belt went viral.

Meenakshi was found hanging in the bedroom of her house. The couple shared a child together. Following the discovery of her body, her family members alleged that Shivaji had beaten her to death and was trying to make the death appear as a suicide.

Relatives of the deceased woman flocked to the Thirumalayapalem police station, demanding that the police charge Shivaji with Meenakshi’s murder. The family alleged that Shivaji had been eyeing a life insurance policy that he had purchased for his wife, and that he regularly assaulted and harassed her.

Shortly after her body was found on Friday morning, a video surfaced showing Shivaji hitting a bound Meenakshi with a belt. In the video, she is seen pleading in agony while their child cries in the background.

A police officer stated that the video was an old recording made by one of Meenakshi’s relatives. The family had kept the video hidden after relatives intervened and reached a compromise, where Shivaji promised not to assault her again. However, the police complaint states that he continued to physically and mentally harass her.

Thirumalayapalem Police Station in-charge Inspector V Srinivas confirmed that Shivaji has been brought to the police station for questioning. He stated that the police are currently waiting for the post-mortem report to reveal whether the death was a suicide or a murder, after which they will modify the First Information Report (FIR).