Hyderabad: Hours after the 20-year-old YouTuber was brutally murdered allegedly over dowry demands in Telangana’s Korutla, police arrested her husband. The accused Ch Haribabu, a 24-year-old private firm employee, allegedly stabbed his pregnant wife Gandham Vaishnavi to death inside their home in the early hours of Tuesday.Korutla police said the killing was driven by relentless pressure for additional dowry by Haribabu. Metpalli DSP A Ramulu said the accused was tracked down and arrested on Tuesday night on the outskirts of Korutla following a tip-off. Haribabu was produced before a court and remanded in judicial custody.In his complaint to police, Vaishnavi’s father G Durgaprasad, a resident of Madhapur village, said Haribabu married his daughter 10 months ago. Though the bride’s family had made it clear they could not meet dowry demands, the couple went ahead with a love marriage on May 29, 2025, at a temple. Vaishnavi built a following of 50,000 subscribers through her family vlogs on social media.After the wedding, Haribabu’s family allegedly refused to allow the couple into their house, forcing them to live at Durgaprasad’s home. “Haribabu asked for Rs 5 lakh dowry, and I bought him two guntas of land on the outskirts of Madhapur with the money. Despite that, Haribabu asked for Rs 5 lakh more to clear debts, and I promised to give the same once they have children. At the instigation of his mother Lakshmi and brothers Anand and Ashok, Haribabu continued to harass my daughter for additional dowry even after she became pregnant three months ago,” the complainant alleged. Ramulu said Haribabu allegedly attacked Vaishnavi with a knife inside their room and killed her. Around 6 am, family members noticed Haribabu leaving the house on his motorcycle. Soon after, they found Vaishnavi lying in a pool of blood with multiple stab injuries and strangulation marks. She was rushed to the Korutla govt hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead. Knife recovered“After the crime, Haribabu roamed in Raikal and Mithapur areas and hid the murder weapon along with blood-soaked clothes at an unoccupied double bedroom house near Konaraopeta crossroads on the outskirts of Korutla. Acting on a specific alert, we arrested the accused from the place and recovered the knife and clothes,” the DSP said. Police said special teams have been formed to trace Lakshmi, Anand and Ashok, who are currently absconding.
