Temple Priest Gets Life Imprisonment for Murdering Woman to Hide Illicit Affair

Hyderabad (The Uttam Hindu): In a chilling case that shocked the city, a court in Hyderabad on Wednesday sentenced a temple priest to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of a 30-year-old woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair. The convict, Ayyagari Venkata Surya Sai Krishna was serving as a priest at the Maisamma Temple in Saroornagar at the time of the crime.

The woman, identified as Apsara, a resident of Saroornagar, was pressuring Sai Krishna to marry her. Already married and a father of two, the priest feared his secret affair would be exposed. In a calculated move, he took Apsara to Sultanpalli in Shamshabad mandal on June 3, 2023, where a heated argument broke out. He killed her by smashing her head with a boulder, stuffed her body in a bag and brought it back to the temple area. The body was later dumped in a manhole behind the temple.

After committing the crime, Sai Krishna tried to mislead the police by filing a missing person complaint, claiming that Apsara had disappeared after he dropped her off at the airport. However, an investigation by Shamshabad police revealed inconsistencies in his story. CCTV footage and mobile tracking led to his arrest. During interrogation, he confessed to the murder. The Rangareddy district court found him guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment for the murder and an additional seven years for destruction of evidence. A fine of ₹10,000 was also imposed.