Andhra Pradesh’s Vijayawada Police have arrested 35-year-old Mohd Shafi, a local butcher who operates a mutton shop in Bhavanipuram, in connection with the killing of 28-year-old Hindu woman Kalyani (also known as Durga).
Investigators recovered her body parts from the VTPS cooling canal under the Ibrahimpatnam police station limits on September 18.
The investigation began when local police discovered a headless torso in the canal. Following the initial discovery, search teams utilising drones and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel conducted an extensive search of the area, subsequently recovering her head, legs, and other body parts. One hand remains missing.
To establish her identity, police cross-referenced missing-person reports across Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring districts in Telangana, including Bhadradri-Kothagudem and Khammam. Photographs and details of the unidentified body were distributed on social media, leading her family members to identify her through a specific tattoo on her hand.
Dispute over money and child
According to West Zone ACP N.S.V.K. Durga Rao, Kalyani was a semi-orphan originally from Chinna Tatinada village in West Godavari district. She had spent part of her childhood at an NGO facility in Gannavaram and was later married to a man from Mangalagiri, Guntur district. After separating from her husband, she worked at a local hotel.
Police reports state that Kalyani had previously been in a relationship with a man named Ghouse Mohiuddin, with whom she had a child. Upon learning that Mohiuddin was already married, the couple separated and agreed to give their infant son up for adoption to Mohiuddin’s relative, Mohd Shafi.
Following the adoption, disputes arose when Kalyani repeatedly demanded money from Shafi regarding the child’s care.
Body dumped in cooling canal
Police state that Shafi devised a plan to kill Kalyani after sending his wife and children away to Guntur. On September 17, he asked Kalyani to come to his residence, where an argument over money and the child escalated into physical violence. During the altercation, Shafi allegedly attacked Kalyani with a knife, slitting her throat, and subsequently dismembered her body.
The remains were transported to the Gollapudi area and dumped into the cooling canal. Law enforcement traced Shafi through CCTV footage, call detail records (CDR), and technical surveillance. Investigators have also recovered the weapon believed to have been used in the crime.
Police have questioned Guruvulu, an employee at Shafi’s mutton shop, regarding potential involvement in transporting the body. Authorities are also searching for a third individual, Abdullah Durga Rao, an associate of Shafi who is currently absconding.
Kalyani’s child is presently in the care of Shafi’s wife. Authorities are consulting legal advisers regarding formal custody arrangements and may hand the child over to the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) department.
Ibrahimpatnam Circle Inspector Subrahmanyam noted that media dissemination of the initial reports was instrumental in helping the victim’s family recognise her and aiding law enforcement in resolving the case. The investigation remains ongoing.
Locals argue that if the dispute arose over money, killing was not the solution, and the matter could have been settled or the parties could have separated. They have also expressed concern over growing crimes arising from inter-religious marriages.
