Hyderabad: The National Commission for Women (NCW) took suo motu cognizance of the murder of a 21-year-old pregnant woman under the Medipally police station limits of the Rachakonda commissionerate and directed the Director General of Police (DGP), Telangana, to conduct a 'fair' investigation into the henious crime. 

It is pertinet to note that Samala Mahender Reddy (27), a bike taxi aggregator residing in East Balaji Hills, Boduppal, hailing from Vikarabad District, killed his wife B. Swathi (21), chopped her body parts, and dumped them in the Musi River.

NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar has strongly condemned the heinous crime. The Commission has written to the DGP of Telangana to ensure a fair and time-bound investigation, booking the accused under relevant provisions of BNS, 2023, and to submit a detailed Action Taken Report (ATR) to the Commission within 3 days.

Husband arrested for murder

Revealing the chilling details, Malkajgiri Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) P.V. Padmaja said, "The accused Samala Mahender Reddy killed his wife B. Swathi and chopped her body into pieces with an axa blade and threw them in the Musi River at Prathapsingaram village”. 

Going further into details, the accused Samala Mahender Reddy married B. Swathi through a love-cum-arranged marriage in January 2024 at Arya Samaj, Kukatpally, and both are neighbours from the same village. 

“After marriage, they shifted to Hyderabad and resided at Boduppal. They lived happily for about one month, thereafter, frequent quarrels arose between them due to family disputes.  In April 2024, Swathi lodged a complaint at the Women Police Station (WPS) Vikarabad, and a domestic harassment case was registered,” said P.V. Padmaja in a press conference after the arrest of the accused.

Following which the village elders held panchayats, and the matter was compromised. From June 2024 onwards, the couple started residing in a rented house at Boduppal. The deceased worked for three months at a call centre in Punjagutta. However, due to suspicion over her movements, the accused stopped her from continuing her job.  

In March 2025, the deceased conceived and was five months pregnant. Even then, frequent quarrels continued between them. On 22 August 2025, the deceased informed the accused that she would go to Vikarabad on 27 August 2025 for a medical check-up and thereafter stay at her parents’ house. The accused did not agree, and a quarrel ensued. The deceased abused him, and on the same day, the accused decided to eliminate her.  

As per his pre-plan, the accused purchased a grip Axa blade at Boduppal, kept it in the house, and waited for an opportunity. On 23 August 2025 at about 16:30 hours, the accused murdered the deceased by throttling her. Thereafter, in order to conceal the evidence, he chopped the body into pieces, disposed of the head, hands, and legs by throwing them into the Musi River at Prathapsingaram, and retained the headless and legless trunk in his room, revealed Malkajgiri DCP P.V. Padmaja.