Andhra techie shoots woman dead, then kills self

Both techies had been working from home for more than a year, and Suresh had been harassing and wanted to marry her.
Collage of Suresh and Kavya
Collage of Suresh and Kavya
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Weeks after 24-year-old Kavya and her family rejected a marriage proposal from Suresh (35), a fellow techie from their village in Andhra Pradesh, he walked into her house and shot her dead, police said. Soon after running away from the spot where he had shot her, Suresh shot himself and took his life, according to reports. Kavya breathed her last while being moved to a hospital. The incident happened in Tatiparthi village of Podalakuru mandal in Nellore district on Monday, May 9. 

Malapati Suresh Reddy and Kavya Reddy were software professionals, and while he was posted in Bengaluru and she was working in Pune, both of them had been working from home for more than a year now because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nellore SP (Superintendent of Police) Vijaya Rao said it was a case of “one-sided love” from Suresh, and that his feelings for Kavya were unreciprocated. “He had been texting and calling her, and kept harassing her,” the SP said. 

Last month, Suresh sent his parents to Kavya’s house for a marriage proposal, according to the SP. “Her family sensitively rejected the proposal by giving various reasons,” he said. On Monday, around 3 pm, Suresh showed up at Kavya’s house with a firearm. Police said Kavya’s sister was with her, and Suresh pushed her aside when she tried to stop him. 

“As per preliminary information, two rounds were fired, and Kavya escaped the first round. The second round hit her in the head. We will have to wait for the post mortem report for clear details,” the SP said. “Witnesses said that the first round hit a bed, this will have to be verified by the CLUES team,” he said, adding that police are awaiting complete details on exactly what transpired. “We are also looking into how he got the weapon. It has the words ‘Made in USA’ written in English,” he added. 

Atmakuru Deputy Superintendent of Police K Venkateswara Rao told PTI that the weapon used by Suresh was a country-made pistol. Initial reports suggested that Kavya and Suresh had been in a relationship and that it was only Kavya’s parents who refused to let them marry. The Atmakuru DSP told PTI that both their families were into farming, and Kavya's parents refused to marry their daughter off because of debt. "This probably irked Suresh and he brought a country-made pistol to the village,” he said. However, SP Vijaya Rao later said that it was “one-side love from his side.” 

The DSP added, “He first fired two shots at Kavya, one of which hit her on the forehead. She succumbed while being shifted to the hospital … After shooting her, Suresh ran some distance, jumped a wall and shot himself.’

With PTI inputs

If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers of suicide prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.

Tamil Nadu

State health department's suicide helpline: 104

Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in Tamil Nadu)

Andhra Pradesh

Life Suicide Prevention: 78930 78930

Roshni: 9166202000, 9127848584

Karnataka

Sahai (24-hour): 080 65000111, 080 65000222

Kerala

Maithri: 0484 2540530

Chaithram: 0484 2361161

Both are 24-hour helpline numbers.

Telangana

State government's suicide prevention (tollfree): 104

Roshni: 040 66202000, 6620200

SEVA: 09441778290, 040 27504682 (between 9 am and 7 pm)

Aasara offers support to individuals and families during an emotional crisis, for those dealing with mental health issues and suicidal ideation, and to those undergoing trauma after the suicide of a loved one.

24x7 Helpline: 9820466726

Click here for working helplines across India.

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