Army sepoy hid in graveyard for two days after murdering railway employee

HYDERABAD: Army Sepoy Gudla Srinivasa Reddy had taken shelter in a graveyard on the outskirts of the city for two days after he brutally killed railway employee M Vijay Kumar Reddy at Malkajgiri on May 8.

He then travelled to Delhi by train and from there to Dehradun, where he was deployed, to join work. Police found that he had attempted to kill Vijay on more than one occasion, but failed. 

After murdering Vijay with a sickle, Srinivasa Reddy travelled to a graveyard on the outskirts, where he stayed for two days.

He had arrived at the city a month before and was staying in a lodge at Secunderabad. During this period, he did a recce on the victim’s movements. 

After Vijay started visiting the Railway Hospital as his mother was admitted there for Covid treatment, Srinivasa Reddy joined as a daily labourer at the hospital, all with an intention to kill Vijay at the hospital itself. However, he could not succeed. 

He also avoided digital payments all through this period, leaving no clue about his presence in the city. A few days before the offence, he booked a train ticket to Delhi so that he could leave the city immediately after killing Vijay. 

Police suspect that Srinivasa Reddy killed Vijay so that he would marry the latter’s wife, Bhavya. Srinivasa Reddy and Bhavya were close relatives and their families had fixed their marriage a few years ago. But, the marriage was called off at the last moment and Bhavya married Vijay Kumar a few months later.