Hyderabad priest gets life sentence for murder of aspiring TV actress: Body sealed in septic tank

The woman had asked Sai Krishna to marry her and stated that if he failed to marry her, she would expose him.

Updated on: Mar 27, 2025, 12:42:24 IST

By HT News Desk

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A Hyderabad court on Wednesday sentenced a 36-year-old priest to life imprisonment for killing an aspiring television actor in June 2023. The court found him guilty under relevant sections of IPC and imposed a ₹10 lakh fine.

Sai Krishna got acquainted with the victim as Apsara's mother would frequent the temple where the accused was a priest. (X (Surya Reddy))

News agency PTI reported that priest Venkat Surya Sai Krishna alias Sai Krishna, who was already married at the time of the crime, lured the victim, Kuruganti Apsara, on the pretext of marriage.

The woman had asked Sai Krishna to marry her and stated that if he failed to marry her, she would expose him. Vexed with her behaviour, he decided to kill the woman, the prosecution argued.

Investigation reveals shocking details

The investigation into the case revealed that Sai Krishna killed Apsara as the latter was pressuring him for marriage.

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According to the prosecution, Sai Krishna, who was already married, made the 30-year-old woman believe that he would marry her and develop a relationship with her.

Sai Krishna got acquainted with the victim as Apsara's mother would frequent the temple where the accused was a priest. This sparked a relationship in early 2023.

On June 3, 2023, the accused picked up the woman from her home in a car, smothered her with a cover, hit her head with a stone on her head and killed her, the probe revealed.

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After returning home to Saroornagar, the convict left the car in his parking slot for two days with the body in the boot. He then sprayed room fresheners every day to prevent the odour.

Later, he dumped the body in a manhole in a government office complex near his house, filled the area with sand, and sealed it with cement, police said.

Sai Krishna then brought two tipper loads of red soil and covered the manhole. He then burned her handbag and luggage to obliterate evidence.

After that he washed his car and parked it in his apartment. The following day, he visited the spot and after noticing the bad smell emanating, he got some labourers to cover and seal the manhole with concrete, according to the prosecution.

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Sai Krishna then took the mother of the victim to a police station and lodged a complaint stating that her daughter was missing.

The police found that there were contradictions in the account of the accused after verifying the CCTV camera footage.

During interrogation, he confessed to having murdered the woman and got arrested, Shamshabad police had earlier said.

(with PTI inputs)

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HT News Desk
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