Telangana lecturer arrested in alleged murder of engineering student

Police in Telangana have arrested a 38-year-old lecturer, Jetty Naveen Kumar, in connection with the death of 20-year-old engineering student Thandra Akshitarani. While the death was initially investigated as a suicide after Akshitarani consumed pesticide and left a note, investigators now allege she was forced to consume the substance and coerced into writing a note to stage her death.

According to police, the motive stemmed from a grudge held by Naveen Kumar, a former contract lecturer at Singareni Collieries Polytechnic, after Akshitarani distanced herself from him. Investigators believe Naveen intercepted Akshitarani on September 12, forced her into a vehicle, and compelled her to write a note accusing another man, Bommakanthi Ravikumar, of sexual assault before forcing her to ingest the pesticide.

Ravikumar, a 35-year-old mine overman, has also been arrested following allegations of sexual assault. Akshitarani, who was pursuing a degree in mining engineering at Osmania University, died at a government hospital on September 13.