Roopa Reddy, a school principal in Telangana’s Nalgonda district, was killed by the two minors at her residence on August 11.
Read Full StoryThe breakthrough came from Roopa Reddy's last conversation with her aunt.
The cash was sent for forensic examination, and the blood was subsequently confirmed to be that of Roopa Reddy, police said.
The case was eventually traced back to students who had once sat in Roopa Reddy's classroom.
SP Sharath Chandra Pawar said the investigation had established that the accused were students who had previously been taught by Roopa Reddy.
Roopa Reddy, a school principal in Telangana’s Nalgonda district, was killed by the two minors at her residence on August 11. Police said the teenagers murdered her to steal money, with the investigation later revealing a trail of resentment, a house recce and blood-stained currency.
Nalgonda SP Sharath Chandra Pawar said police formed five teams and examined footage from nearly 70 CCTV cameras as they worked to identify the killers.
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The breakthrough came from Roopa Reddy's last conversation with her aunt.
During the conversation, she had addressed someone as “Babu”. Investigators learnt that this was a term she commonly used while addressing students at the school. That detail prompted police to look closely at students who had been absent around the time of the murder.
The school remained closed for four days after Roopa Reddy's death. When it reopened, police identified 13 students who had been absent and questioned them.
Five of those students were in Class 10. Investigators soon noticed something unusual – two of them appeared to be spending money lavishly.
That raised the first major suspicion.
During questioning, police reportedly found Rs 1.54 lakh in cash with one of the minors.
His explanation was that his parents had given him the money.
But investigators noticed bloodstains on the currency notes. The cash was sent for forensic examination, and the blood was subsequently confirmed to be that of Roopa Reddy, police said.
The discovery turned the suspicion of the two students into a major lead.
Investigators then began piecing together their possible motive and movements before the murder.
According to police, one of the accused had earlier stayed in the school hostel and was reportedly fond of alcohol and motorcycles. Roopa Reddy had allegedly found cash and a phone in his bag. She reprimanded him and later shifted him from the hostel to day-scholar status.
Police suspect that the action had left him resentful towards her.
The investigation also found that the student had travelled to Goa about a month before the murder and was allegedly looking for ways to make money.
Then, five days before Roopa Reddy was killed, he allegedly conducted a recce of her house.
Police said he had learnt that money from school fee collections could be kept at the residence, making it a potential target.
On August 11, Roopa Reddy returned home from school.
Police allege that the two minors then scaled the compound wall, entered the house wearing masks and attacked her.
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But during the assault, one of the accused allegedly lost his mask.
That allowed Roopa Reddy to recognise him.
Police allege that the accused then attacked her repeatedly with a knife, stabbing her 27 times.
After the killing, they allegedly took her cash and mobile phone and fled.
The investigation later recovered Rs 1.54 lakh in cash, an iPhone and Roopa Reddy's mobile phone from the accused, police said.
The case was eventually traced back to students who had once sat in Roopa Reddy's classroom.
As both accused are minors, police said they would be produced before the Juvenile Justice Court.
SP Sharath Chandra Pawar said the investigation had established that the accused were students who had previously been taught by Roopa Reddy.
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