Days after the body of 80-year-old Maruthi Krishna was found dismembered and stuffed into buckets in Hyderabad, the police have taken his wife Gaya, daughter Prafulla and son Kishan, into custody, for the macabre crime.
More details of the crime have also come to light as the police on Thursday stated that the family searched for ways to kill Maruthi on the internet, and came across datura powder, a poisonous substance which they could mix in his food.
The police said that they purchased the powder and mixed a large quantity of it in his food last Thursday, following which he died. Investigation officials said that all three members of the family began to chop his body into pieces.
“Kishan brought six plastic bins from a shop at NMDC Colony and chopped the body into pieces using knives with the help of Gaya and Prafulla. They stuffed the body parts into the bins and waited to dispose them secretly,” the police were quoted as saying.
The police said that the motive for the crime was Rs 30,000 in pension that Maruthi, a retired railway employee, was receiving each month.
“In order to get their hands on the pension, Kishan, Prafulla and Gaya decided to kill Maruti... they wanted to dispose of the parts and lodge a complaint that Maruti was missing, but their plan failed when neighbours complained to the police after being alerted by the foul smell," the police added.
Due to Eid festivities and a wedding at a neighbour's house, the accused could not manage to dump the body. The police also said that the family moved the buckets to a room at the back of the house and used air fresheners and perfumes to cover the foul smell.