HYDERABAD: Three people, including a woman, have been arrested for allegedly killing a 32-year-old plumber by making him consume liquor mixed with pesticide in Telangana’s Jayashankar Bhupalpally district, according to news agency ANI.The deceased was identified as Pendela Sampath, a native of Golapalli village who was living in Buddharam village.Sampath was found dead near the Zilla Parishad High School (ZPHS) in Buddharam on the night of September 17. Police initially registered a suspicious death case on September 18 under Crime No. 233/2026.The case was later altered under Sections 61(2), 103 read with 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) following the investigation.The arrested accused were identified as Ummalla Srikanth, 36, Pendela Sumalatha, 26, the deceased’s wife, and Poludasari Tarun, 23. All three are residents of Buddharam village.According to police, Sampath suspected that his wife was allegedly in a relationship with Srikanth and had warned him several times.Police alleged that Srikanth and Sumalatha then conspired to kill Sampath and allegedly brought Tarun into the plan by promising him Rs 1 lakh.On September 17, Srikanth and Tarun allegedly took Sampath to the ZPHS premises in Buddharam and made him consume liquor mixed with pesticide. Police said the substance caused his death.The accused allegedly tried to pass off the death as a suicide.Investigators said they took Sampath’s body to his house on Srikanth’s Pulsar motorcycle, bearing registration number TS-03-EF-4082.Police further alleged that pesticide was poured into Sampath’s mouth, on his clothes and on the floor of the house to make it appear that he had consumed it himself.As part of the investigation, police examined the alleged crime scenes, collected photographs and videos, conducted panchanamas and questioned witnesses. A post-mortem examination was also carried out.Police said they seized the Pulsar motorcycle, mobile phones belonging to all three accused, Rs 500 from Tarun, a liquor bottle allegedly containing pesticide and the pesticide bottle recovered from the scene.All three accused were arrested and produced before a court, which remanded them to 14 days in judicial custody.Police said further investigation is underway to establish the complete sequence of events and collect additional evidence.
