Visakhapatnam: In a chilling incident reminiscent of a crime thriller, a daughter-in-law in Appannapalem near Vepagunta, under Pendurthi police limits, murdered her mother-in-law by setting her on fire after deceiving her own children into playing a “police and thief” game.
According to ACP (West Zone) Prudhvi Teja, the deceased Jayanti Kanaka Mahalaxmi (63) lived with her son Jayanti Subrahmanyam, daughter-in-law Lalitha Devi (30), grandchildren Eshwar Chandra and Srinayana, and nephew Sharath at Varshini Apartments in Appannapalem.
Subrahmanyam and Lalitha had been married for 12 years, but constant disputes between Lalitha and her mother-in-law had strained family relations since the early days of marriage. Fed up with the quarrels, Lalitha allegedly decided to kill her mother in-law. She reportedly watched crime videos on YouTube to learn how to commit the murder and avoid detection.
On November 6, Lalitha brought home a litre of petrol from a fuel station near Simhachalam Goshala. The next morning, when her husband and nephew left for work, she decided to act. Lalitha told her children to play a police-and-thief game with their grandmother instructing them to tie her hands and blindfold her.
Unaware of her daughter-in-law’s sinister plan, Kanaka Mahalaxmi agreed, thinking it was a playful activity. Once the children tied her up, Lalitha poured petrol on her and threw a burning lamp from the household shrine, engulfing the elderly woman in flames. Hearing her screams, neighbours rushed in and tried to douse the fire, but Kanaka Mahalaxmi succumbed to severe burns while being taken to the hospital.
Initially, Lalitha attempted to mislead the police and neighbors by claiming that the fire was an accident caused by a fallen lamp, but investigators grew suspicious after noticing the smell of petrol. During questioning, Lalitha confessed to the crime.
Based on a complaint filed by her husband Subrahmanyam, police arrested Lalitha and sent her to judicial remand. Their daughter Srinayana sustained minor burn injuries in the incident.