Hyderabad: In a tragic case dating back to February 2019, a man has been sentenced to life in prison and fined Rs10,000 for the murder of his wife and one-and-a-half-year-old daughter. The IX Additional Judge at LB Nagar Court delivered the verdict four years after the gruesome incident.
Erukali Roja, 25 years old, was married to the accused, Erukali Raju, aged 35. They resided in Chevella village and initially led a happy life together. However, over time, the accused began subjecting Roja to mental and physical harassment.
On the fateful day of February 14, 2019, at 5:30 pm, Roja was at home with her children when the accused initiated a quarrel. She threatened to commit suicide by using kerosene if he continued to quarrel with her. In response, the accused, in a fit of rage, declared that it was because of her that he had no peace of mind and vowed to kill her by dousing her with kerosene.
Tragically, the accused forcibly poured kerosene on his wife and daughter, set them on fire, and fled the scene. Neighbours, alerted by their cries, intervened, extinguished the flames, and rushed the victims to Osmania Hospital for medical treatment.
Despite the medical efforts, the daughter, Keerthana, succumbed to her injuries on February 15, 2019, while Roja tragically passed away on February 17, 2019, at Osmania General Hospital.
A case was registered under section 162 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) based on the statement of the complainant, Roja, by Sub-Inspector Hanmanth Reddy of Chevella Police Station, who initiated the investigation.
Due to the gravity of the case, Inspector of Police G Guruvaiah took charge of the investigation and arrested the accused, Erukali Raju Alias Sarla Raju, on February 18, 2019. The accused was subsequently produced before the court for judicial custody.
