The Hyderabad police are on the lookout for a man named Shiva Ram Rathod after coming across evidence that reportedly indicates that Rathod had abetted the suicide of Marri Pravalika, a young woman who was found dead in her hostel room on Friday night in the city.
On Tuesday, the Chikkadpally police altered the case from Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code to Sections 417 (punishment for cheating), 420 (cheating) and 306 (abetment to suicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Special teams had been rushed to different places, including Rathod’s PC Thanda in Kosigi of undivided Mahbubnagar district, to arrest him.
The ‘suicide’ of Pravalika, who was residing in a private hostel while preparing for competitive exams to secure a government job, assumed political overtones with opposition parties holding the ruling BRS government responsible for the woman’s death. Police officers associated with the investigation of the case, unwilling to be named, said they had stumbled upon evidence which suggests Rathod drove the job aspirant to end her life.
According to them, Rathod’s family elders had recently fixed his marriage with another woman. “Pravalika was upset over this and picked up an argument with him as he had earlier assured to marry her,” the investigating officer, seeking anonymity, said. Investigators believe that the woman, with whom Rathod’s marriage was fixed, had secured a government job.
On Friday, at around 11 a.m., both Pravalika and Rathod met at Balaji Darshan hotel. They had breakfast there. “They entered into an argument when the issue of Rathod’s marriage proposal with another woman came up,” the police officer explained. Pravalika was upset over this and started back for her hostel room only to be followed by Rathod, according to police.
She had sent a message stating that she wanted to end her life as she was dejected over Rathod deciding to marry another woman. Police are verifying reports that she sent the same message to two of her friends.
Meanwhile, Pravalika’s mother and brother appealed to the government to ensure that the person responsible for her death should be awarded stringent punishment.
