Telangana student’s death looked like suicide — until police checked CCTV and arrested lecturer

A 20-year-old engineering student in Telangana, initially suspected of suicide, has been linked to an alleged murder case after police reviewed CCTV footage and phone records. Tandhra Akshitharani, a BE in mining student at Osmania University, died on September 13, a day after the alleged act. Police have arrested her former lecturer, Jetty Naveen Kumar, 38, and an overman at a Singareni coal mine, Bommakanthi Ravikumar, 35.

According to reports, Naveen and Akshitharani had become close, with Naveen allegedly expressing his intention to marry her. After completing her diploma, Akshitharani joined Osmania University and completed a 12-day internship at a coal mine where she met Ravikumar. The police allege that Naveen, who was reportedly living separately from his wife, developed animosity towards Akshitharani after learning about her relationship with Ravikumar, leading him to force her to consume pesticide and stage a suicide note to make it seem as if she had taken her own life.