Kamal Ghorui
TIRUPATI: A middle-aged man allegedly murdered his 31-year-old wife by poisoning her with a substance purchased through a YouTuber in a chilling crime reported from Proddatur town in Andhra Pradesh’s Kadapa district.According to Proddatur additional superintendent of police Vibhu Krishna, Bhadripalli Kiran had been leading a troubled married life with his wife Bhadripalli Padmaja. Police said Kiran was unhappy about Padmaja’s obesity and her addiction to junk food, which frequently led to disputes.The relationship further deteriorated about a year ago after Kiran entered into an extramarital relationship with a Hyderabad-based woman.Police said that after deciding to eliminate his wife, Kiran began extensively searching social media platforms for ways to poison someone without being detected. During this process, he allegedly contacted a YouTuber and purchased a poisonous substance for Rs 80,000.On the night of April 29-30, Kiran reportedly mixed the poison into sweets and made Padmaja consume them. Although she collapsed, she was still alive and breathing.Realising she had survived the poisoning attempt, Kiran allegedly used a pillow to suffocate Padmaja, killing her in the early hours of April 30.After the murder, Kiran attempted to pass it off as an accident. He reportedly told his parents that Padmaja had slipped from the bed and lost consciousness. When doctors were called to the house, Padmaja was declared dead, the ASP said.Following a complaint filed by Padmaja’s father Raja Kullayi, Proddatur police registered a case of suspicious death under Section 194 of the BNS Act and sent the body for postmortem examination. The postmortem report indicated the use of a poisonous substance, prompting police to intensify the investigation.Kiran was taken into custody, during which he confessed to the crime, police said. While investigators have ruled out the involvement of Kiran’s alleged lover, police have launched a manhunt for the YouTuber who sold the poison. “The accused YouTuber has gone underground, switched off his phone and is absconding. We will soon trace and arrest him,” Vibhu Krishna said.
