Hyderabad: Mupparapu Ajith Kumar, a UK-based NRI, hatched a sinister plot to poison his wife, Dr. M. Shirisha, and her family members with arsenic.
As a result, all of them fell critically ill. Tragically, Shirisha’s mother, Uma Maheshwari, succumbed to the poisoning during her treatment, while Shirisha and her father remained gravely ill.
Initially, they suspected food poisoning, but subsequent tests revealed alarmingly high levels of arsenic in their bodies.
Fearing Ajith Kumar's involvement, a pharmacist by profession, they filed a complaint with the Miyapur police.
Upon investigation, the police uncovered a sinister plot involving Ajith, who, with the assistance of Shirisha's cousin, Purnendhar Rao, had made several attempts to poison other family members.
The police apprehended Purnendhar Rao and five additional individuals who were part of the conspiracy to poison Shirisha and her parents by injecting them with poison, as stated by ACP Miyapur division P. Narsimha Rao.
The other accused individuals include D. Vinod Kumar, Y. Bhavani Shankar, Bathula Ashok, Basiraju Gopinath, who were friends of Purnendhar Rao, and Ramesh, the son of Venkat Ramana, a watchman employed at the apartment where the victims were residing.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Purnendhar Rao, harboring a strong dislike for Shirisha's family, befriended Ajith Kumar.
Initially, Ajith mixed arsenic in salt and chili powder, which was consumed by Shirisha, her daughter, parents, brother, and his newly-wed wife, causing them all to fall ill.
Tragically, Shirisha's mother lost her life during her treatment. When the health of the other family members failed to improve, they sought medical help in Amaravati.
Doctors there suspected arsenicosis as the cause of their deteriorating health and referred them for further tests, which confirmed the presence of high levels of arsenic.
Even after returning to the UK, Ajith Kumar continued his sinister plan to harm the family. Leveraging Purnendhar's animosity towards Shirisha's family, he enlisted his help and brought along his friends.
All involved in this disturbing conspiracy have been remanded in custody, according to the police.
