Andhra woman tied to tree, assaulted over loan; 4 arrested
Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who represents the Kuppam assembly constituency, on Tuesday issued orders for police to take strict action against the accused
A 25-year-old woman was allegedly tied to a tree and beaten up in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh by four people over a loan dispute, officials aware of the matter said, adding that all accused have been arrested in connection with the case.
The incident took place on Monday in Narayanapuram village under Kuppam municipal limits. The woman, identified as Sirisha, was tied to a tree and beaten up by money lender Munikannappa alias Muneppa and his family for failing to pay a loan taken by her husband, deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Parthasaradhi said.
“A woman named Sirisha was tied to a tree and brutally assaulted over a loan of ₹80,000,” the DSP said in a press conference. “Acting swiftly, the police reached the village, conducted an investigation, and identified four accused— Muneppa, Venkatamma, Raja, and Jagadeeswari.”
According to police, the accused have been charged under sections 109 (attempt to murder) of the BNS.
Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who represents the Kuppam assembly constituency, on Tuesday issued orders for police to take strict action against the accused. The directive comes after a purported video of the incident was widely circulated on social media, which HT has seen but could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
According to a statement released by the chief minister’s office (CMO), Sirisha’s husband Thimmarayappa had taken a loan of ₹80,000 from Muneppa three years ago, but did not repay it. Three months ago, the husband left his wife and five-year-old son and went absconding, forcing Sirisha to move to her mother’s place in Santhipuram area of the district.
On Monday, Sirisha returned to Narayanapuram to collect her son’s transfer certificate from his school. When Muneppa and his family found out about Sirisha’s return, they confronted her about the unpaid dues, the statement added.
In the purported video of the incident, the woman could be seen abused and beaten up by Munikannappa, his wife Venkatamma, son Raja and daughter-in-law Jagadeeshwari.
Upon receiving information about the incident, the CM spoke to Chittoor district superintendent of police V N Manikanta Chandolu and directed him to take stringent action against the accused, the statement said.
A statement from the office of state home minister Vangalapudi Anitha said Sireesha had been admitted to the local government hospital in Kuppam for treatment. “The home minister and TDP MLC Kancharla Srikanth reached out to her through a video call and consoled the victim. They assured her full support from the government,” the statement said.
