He killed sister’s husband to ‘avenge’ her murder; the plot began with bail - The Indian Express

For weeks, Telangana resident G Santhosh had been keeping a tab on court proceedings.

His sister Vaishnavi was allegedly killed by her husband C Hari Babu at their home in Jagtial district in March, and Santhosh was worried that the accused would get bail.

“He was angry that the local court was deliberating on his (Babu’s) bail petition. He was also apprehensive that the court may grant bail due to loopholes in presenting evidence by the police,” says Santhosh’s wife Sowjanya.

Police sources say that while Santhosh was tracking the court proceedings, he allegedly started making plans to attack his brother-in-law if the latter walked out of jail.

On July 20, four months after he allegedly killed his wife Vaishnavi, Babu was granted bail on several conditions.

Two months later, on September 18, Santhosh hacked him to death in the neighbouring Nizamabad town.

Sowjanya says that following Vaishnavi’s death, Santhosh had become “withdrawn and quiet”. She says, “My husband changed so drastically after that incident that I did not recognise him on some days. He was irritated, snapped at our two daughters and me all the time. He ate little, and was always angry. He became another person…”

Sowjanya says she approached her father-in-law, who advised her to give Santhosh some time to recover from the loss of his sister.

“We all loved ‘chitti’ as we affectionately called Vaishnavi,” Sowjanya says of her sister-in-law. “Her brutal murder was not only a shock to us but also devastated several families.’

Vaishnavi, 20, was a YouTuber with over 50,000 followers. In March, police said Vaishnavi had returned to her parents’ house over Babu’s alleged demand for additional dowry. According to police, Babu went to fetch her and stayed at her residence. Hours before she was killed on March 17, Vaishnavi posted a video announcing she was pregnant. Police say Babu resented her growing online popularity.

As time passed, Sowjanya gradually noticed something: Her husband’s “quiet and withdrawn demeanour” had given way to something more worrisome. “Although he did not explicitly say he wanted to kill Babu, he was angry that the court was deliberating on his bail petition…”

Police say that once out on bail, Babu took all precautions to avoid his wife’s family in Jagtial. He moved to neighbouring Nizamabad where he set up a stall to sell boiled and roasted corn.

On September 17, Babu took a bus to meet his mother, who was also arrested for allegedly harassing her daughter-in-law but was granted bail immediately after.

Around 5.30 pm, he reached the Shivajinagar area by bus. He walked up to a pani puri stall for a quick snack and as he was having water, Santhosh allegedly attacked him. Police said Santhosh and his friends had been following Babu in a white car.

In less than a minute, Santhosh allegedly delivered more than 10 blows with a sickle on Babu’s head and neck, resulting in his death on the spot. Santhosh later made a selfie video confessing to the murder and surrendered to police.

Sowjanya is still making sense of what happened. “Now that he (Santhosh) has taken his revenge, and has been arrested, where does that leave me and our two young daughters? What are we supposed to do now?” she asks.

While being taken into custody, Santhosh released another selfie video, saying that if people agreed with the “justice” he had delivered, they should help his wife and two daughters by making donations.

Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance. Expertise and Experience Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues: High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy. Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules. Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes. Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak. Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More