Mancherial fire deaths were caused by illicit affair

MANCHERIAL: A police probe into the fire that charred six members of a family to death in Venkatapur, Mandamarri mandal, in Mancherial district, found that it was not an accident but a premeditated murder.

According to police investigations, six members of a family, including Shivaiah, Rajyalakshmi, Mounika, Shanthaia, Hima Bindu, and Sweety, were burnt to death on Saturday after their house was set on fire.

During their investigation, the police discovered that the “fire mishap” was caused by a woman's alleged extramarital affair. According to police, Shanthaiah's wife Neeraja devised a plan with the assistance of her children to eliminate her husband, a Singareni worker who had an illicit relationship with 45-year-old Padma, with the fear that he would give his job and assets to the paramour's children after taking voluntary retirement from the Singareni in the next two years, and carried out the plan on Friday midnight in Mancherial district.

Shanthaiah, a Singareni worker, is about to retire in two years and is
currently living with his lover Padma's family in Gudipelli village,
Venkatapur gram panchayat, Mandamarri mandal, Mancherial district.
Shanthaiah is not living with his wife Neeraja, who works as a nurse, and their children in Godavarikhani, Peddapalli district. Padma's husband, Masu Shivaiah, 50, works as a VRA and was well aware of his wife’s affair with Shanthaiah, encouraging the illegal affair for the benefit of his family.

For some time, members of both the families have been arguing about how to divide assets and jobs after Shanthaiah's retirement. Shanthaiah recently received Rs 20 lakh after selling a plot of land and allegedly giving the proceeds to Padma's family. Neeraja and her children demanded that Shanthaiah look after their welfare and give his job and assets to his biological son and his family. Padma, on the other hand, was putting pressure on Shanthaiah to give her son his job after he retired from the Singareni. Neeraja and Shanthaiah are blessed with two sons and a daughter.

Shanthaiah's wife Neeraja and his children developed a grudge against him and devised and carried out a plan to eliminate him. The two children Sweety and Himabindu and their mother Mounika who came to her relative Padma’s house were also charred to death.