In a tragic incident of honour killing, a woman police constable, Nagamoni, was brutally murdered by her brother in Telangana for marrying a man from the Scheduled Caste (SC) community.
The incident occurred in the Ibrahimpatnam area of Ranga Reddy district, near Hyderabad. Telangana has witnessed several such cases in recent years, predominantly targeting grooms in inter-caste marriages.
Nagamoni, 27, who belonged to the Backward Classes (BC), was on her way to work on her Ola scooter when her brother, Paramesh, rammed her vehicle with a car.
While on a call with her husband, Srikanth, she was stabbed multiple times by her brother. He then left her bleeding on the road. Initially, police reported that the attacker was unknown. However, Srikanth later filed a complaint at the Ibrahimpatnam police station, accusing Paramesh of the crime.
Srikanth, from the Mala community, a Scheduled Caste group, revealed that Nagamoni had previously been married ten years ago but had separated and officially divorced in 2022. She married Srikanth on November 19, 2024, at Yadagirigutta, despite her family’s opposition to their inter-caste union.
On the day of the incident, Nagamoni had left home for work when her brother began chasing her on the road. During a phone call with her husband, she expressed fear, saying Paramesh was trying to hit her with his car.
The call abruptly disconnected. Srikanth asked his brother to check on her, only to discover her severely injured on the road. Police have launched a manhunt for Paramesh, who is currently absconding.
Telangana has witnessed several high-profile cases of honour killings in recent years. In 2018, Pranay Kumar, a Dalit man, was hacked to death by hired killers at Miryalaguda on the orders of his father-in-law. The killers were reportedly promised Rs 1.3 crore.
In 2020, Hemanth Kumar, from the Vysya community, was killed by relatives of his wife, who belonged to the Reddy community. In 2022, Nagaraju was brutally murdered by Mobin, the elder brother of his wife, Ashrin, in Saroornagar.