Ongole: Unable to pay debts, woman commits robbery, murder

Ongole: A woman from Prakasam district, who suffered losses in the business and suffering from the pressures from money lenders, killed another woman for jewellery and ended up in the jail.

The Prakasam district SP, Malika Garg explained the details in a press meet at DPO in Ongole on Monday. She said that the Chimakurthy police received a complaint on October 9, that a woman, Medarametla Seetharavamma, 56 years, was found dead in her house in Marrichetlapalem village of Chimakurthy mandal. The police registered it as a case of murder for gain and followed the instructions of the SP to investigate the case.

Ongole DSP U Nagaraju formed three teams with the Ongole rural CI R Rambabu, and SIs of Chimakurthy, Maddipadu and Santhanuthalapadu.

The police teams analysed call records and collected evidence to confirm the involvement of Regati Ramadevi in the crime.

Ramadevi is a resident of Ramachandrapuram village in Darsi mandal and shifted to Marrichetlapalem about 5 months ago for livelihood. She took the premises of the victim Seetharavamma for rent to run a hotel and a noodle stall in the evening by her son.

However, they didn't pay the monthly rent as per the agreement and a due of Rs 25,000 was pending with the victim. Meanwhile, Ramadevi also took loans of Rs 60,000 and Rs 5,000 from two people living nearby, and not able to pay the interests as the business was doing well as she had expected.

Unable to run the hotel, the family of Ramadevi tried to leave the village, but the money lenders obstructed their move and demanded to pay the money and then take the articles in the home.

Unable to find a way to repay the money to the lenders, Ramadevi hatched a plan to rob jewellery of Seetharavamma, with the cooperation of her friend Dharmavarapu Kumari of Darsi. They both reached the house of Seetharavamma on October 7 and tried to divert her attention. But as the victim tried to raise alarm, they used scarves and towels to suffocate her to death. After confirming themselves that she was dead, they left the place with the jewellery on her body, mobile phone and Rs 3,000 cash available in the house. Later, they sold the jewellery in a shop at Darsi and bought a necklace to use for mortgaging in a bank and pay to the money lenders.

After their arrest, Ramadevi and her aide Kumari both confessed to their crime and the police recovered the jewellery from the shop owner and mobile phone and money, a total worth of Rs 2, 23,000 from them.

The SP appreciated the Ongole sub-divisional police team for cracking the case in a short time. She lauded the efforts of the DSP U Nagaraju, Ongole rural CI R Rambabu, Chimakurthy SI P Nagasiva Reddy Maddipadu SI Y Nagaraju, Santhauthalapadu SI D Rajarao and their staff, and presented them with commendation certificates and cash rewards.