Hyderabad, May 8 (IANS): Sunanda, 55, wife of retired IPS officer and former Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police Vinay Ranjan Ray, was found murdered at their residence in Hyderabad’s upscale Jubilee Hills area on Friday, sending shockwaves through the Prashasan Nagar colony where several senior IPS and IAS officers reside. Police believe the murder took place around 2 a.m. while Ray was out of the city and Sunanda was alone in their portion of the three-storey house, with their children on the upper floors. The prime suspect is Kalpana, a recently hired domestic help from Nepal, who allegedly allowed two associates to enter the house, after which the trio tied the victim’s hands and smothered her to death by stuffing a bundle of notes into her mouth. Hyderabad Police Commissioner V. C. Sajjanar confirmed that the cause of death was suffocation, and a forensic team has since collected evidence from the crime scene while Jubilee Hills police have formally registered a case and launched an investigation.
Special teams have been deployed to track down Kalpana and her two associates, who are also reported to be from Nepal, as preliminary investigations point to the involvement of a Nepali gang motivated by financial gain. Police recovered valuables and cash believed to have been looted from the house during the attack. Commissioner Sajjanar urged citizens to exercise caution when hiring domestic help, particularly from Nepal, and noted that similar crimes involving Nepali gangs have been reported in cities such as Mumbai, Pune, and Bengaluru. Director General of Police C. V. Anand and other senior officials visited the crime scene, while Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender also paid a visit to the family and expressed confidence that the accused would be arrested soon.