Hyderabad: A single word spoken during a phone call became a clue in the investigation into the murder of a private school principal, Kallu Roopa Reddy, in Telangana’s Nalgonda district. The police say the word, ‘babu’, helped them turn their attention towards students at the school and eventually led to the arrest of two minors in connection with the case.
She was found dead at her home in JB Colony in Konda Mallepally on August 11.
The police said she had returned home from school that evening and was alone at the time. The police said Reddy saw one of the students taking money from the house and raised an alarm. Her husband, Rajendra Reddy, had travelled to Hyderabad for work. Reddy ran Nagarjuna Grammar Concept School with her colleague Rani Reddy and served as its principal. The police found several knife wounds on her body. The student then attacked her with a knife. During the incident, her phone fell to the ground and the other student picked it up before leaving the scene.
The word that cracked the case
Nalgonda Superintendent of Police Sharath Chandra Pawar said investigators questioned around 80 people and examined footage from 70 CCTV cameras. When classes resumed, 13 students were absent. The police became suspicious and questioned five grade 10 students.
Because she was known to address school students as ‘Babu’, investigators considered the word important. The school had announced a four-day holiday after Reddy’s death.
Her family also told the police that she commonly used the word when speaking to students. The two initially told police that their parents had given them the money. The police said they later confessed to killing Reddy.
The police also looked into several possible motives, including property disputes, family issues and possible involvement of interstate gangs. During questioning, investigators found that two students had started spending large amounts of money and hosting parties after the principal’s death.
