Man found dead in Nagarjuna Sagar canal in alleged honour killing

HYDERABAD: Body of Dharavath Nikhil, 25, a law graduate from Suryapet who had been missing since Sunday, was found in Nagarjuna Sagar project canal at Kodad on Tuesday. While his family alleged that it was a case of honour killing, police registered a suspicious death case and started an investigation.

PND Prasad, Circle Inspector Kodad Rural of Suryapet district told Deccan Chronicle said that prima facie a suspicious death case is registered and the body has been handed over to the family after a postmortem examination. “The case will be transferred to Suryapet town police station, where a missing case is already registered, for further investigation,” he said.

On Tuesday morning, farmers working at Kattakommugudem village outskirts noticed an unidentified youth’s body floating in the direction of Munagal to Chilkur in a canal and alerted police. Police rushed to the spot and the body was recovered. The victim was wearing a steel bracelet on his right hand.

The pictures of the body were circulated to neighbouring police stations. Suryapet town police who are already investigating the missing case of Nikhil, found the features similar and informed his family, who identified his body and rushed to Kodad.

Police found that Nikhil’s father Bhaskar is a former councillor in Suryapet and also an advocate. He completed law recently and came home for Dasara. “He left home on Sunday informing that he was going to a friend’s birthday party and never returned. He called us later at night and informed us that he was returning home, but he did not. Later when we called him, his phone was switched off. We immediately started searching but in vain,” his mother told media persons.

While police are yet to confirm about his relationship and the honour killing aspect in his death, Nikhil’s family alleged that he was in relationship with a girl from an upper caste and the girl’s family members had killed him and dumped his body in the canal.

“We are probing this angle also,” said police. Meanwhile, the postmortem examination did not find any external or internal injuries on Nikhil’s body. Doctors found scratch marks on his throat region, which they suspect could be fish bites and ruled out strangulation.