An 18‑year‑old B.Sc (Nursing) student from Vengannapalem village in Bhadradri Kothagudem district was found dead under suspicious circumstances on 22 September, and the case has been resolved with the arrest of a 22‑year‑old local youth.
The victim was a first‑year nursing student at a private college near Khammam. She was alone in her home on the day of her death, and police discovered her body under conditions that raised suspicion.
The accused, Devarakonda Pavan Kumar, a native of Vengannapalem, had known the girl for four years and reportedly proposed marriage to her shortly before her death. After she rejected the proposal amid a dispute between their families, he allegedly strangled her with a wire‑like object at the rear of her house and fled the scene.
Police seized a motorcycle, two mobile phones—including the victim’s—and the bike’s gear wire from the accused. The case was initially registered under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) following a complaint by the victim’s mother, but was later reclassified as murder under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) after post‑mortem findings.
