Telangana techie burnt alive at in-laws’ place on suspicion of ‘black magic’

Police officer said it was a clear case of murder, as Kumar was tied to a chair, doused with petrol and burnt to death.

A 38-year old software engineer was tied to a chair and burnt alive allegedly by his own relatives in Telangana’s Jagtial district on Monday night, the police said.

Kumar was charred to death by the time local police arrived at the house and tried to rescue him from a locked room. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The incident happened at a house within the premises of Manjunatha temple located on the outskirts of Balwanthapur village in Mallayal block. The deceased was identified as Pagilla Pavan Kumar, a resident of Alwal on the outskirts of Hyderabad. He worked for a software company in Bengaluru.

According to the police, Kumar, along with wife Krishnaveni, came to Balwanthapur to call on the family of his brother-in-law Jagan (38) who died of heart attack 12 days ago. The couple paid floral tributes to the portrait of Jagan and consoled his wife Sumalatha.

“At around 7.30 pm, we received a call from the local people that a person was caught in flames in a room locked up from outside and was screaming for help. We rushed to the spot and broke open the door of the room. We found Kumar tied to a chair and completely burnt. He died instantaneously,” Mallyal sub-inspector of police Nagaraju told Hindustan Times.

Krishnaveni complained to the police that Sumalatha asked her to fetch a bottle of water, while Kumar was talking to her. “By the time I returned, my husband was locked up inside the room and was screaming while being burnt alive,” she complained.

Nagaraju said it was a clear case of murder, as Kumar was tied to a chair, doused with petrol and burnt to death. “Moreover, the room was locked from outside. So, we booked a case under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and are investigating,” he said.

The SI, however, said it was not exactly known who had committed the offence, but it could be the handiwork of Kumar’s in-laws. “We are questioning all the suspects and will crack the case soon,” he said, adding that no arrests were made till now.

Krishnaveni told the police that there were some differences between her brother and husband. Sumalatha had a suspicion that Kumar might have performed black magic over Jagan that led to his untimely death.

Jagtial superintendent of police Sindhu Sharma, deputy superintendent of police Venkataramana and Mallyal inspector Kishore rushed to the spot to enquire about the incident.