In a landmark verdict, a local court sentenced A Venkat Sai Krishna, a priest from Saroornagar, to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of K Apsara (30). The crime took place in June 2023, and the court also sentenced Krishna to seven years of additional imprisonment.
In addition, the court imposed a fine of Rs10 lakh, with Rs9.7 lakh of it to be paid as compensation to Apsara’s grieving family.
Krishna, who had been a priest at a temple and was already married, had promised to marry Apsara, a resident of Saroornagar. He lured her under the false pretense of a trip to Coimbatore. However, in a cold and calculated move, Krishna took Apsara to Shamshabad. Once there, he smothered her to death and disposed of her body in a manhole near the Bangaru Maisamma temple.
To make his deception appear credible, Krishna even created fake flight tickets to gain Apsara’s trust and told her mother that he would drop her off at RGI Airport. But instead, Krishna drove Apsara to an isolated area in Narkuda, Shamshabad, where he killed her. He then transported her body in his car and sealed it in a manhole with cement, hoping to cover his tracks.
The RGI police, initially investigating a missing person case, grew suspicious of Krishna. After his detention, Krishna confessed to the crime, revealing the details of his brutal actions.
This sentence brings some closure to the tragic case, though the victim’s family continues to cope with the loss of their loved one.
