Police probe the role of liquor baron's first wife

After taking into custody two more persons in connection with the gruesome murder of Vaishnavi, police are trying to figure out the role played by liquor baron Prabhakar Rao’s first wife Venkateswaramma in the case.

Though police have nearly cracked the case by identifying the three main accused—Prabhakar’s brother-in-law Venkat Rao Goud, his cousin Srinivasa Rao and one Jagadish, a casual worker at Srinivasa Rao’s plant in Autonagar from where Vaishnavi’s burnt body was found—the sleuths want to find out whether Venkateswaramma had a role in the plotting of the crime. Main accused Venkat Rao Goud is her brother. “Her role is being suspected because the culprits instead of targeting Prabhakar, chose to attack his second wife’s daughter,” a police official said.

Sources said Prabhakar used all his might to prevent Venkateswaramma from filing a bigamy case when he decided to marry for the second time 18 years ago. According to family sources, all the siblings of Prabhakar had also opposed his decision to marry another woman because Venkateswaramma is their blood relative. Trouble started when she gave birth to a son, Durgaprasad, after he married again on the pretext that the former bore him no children.

Though Prabhakar ‘managed’ the two wives for some years, things took an ugly turn when his real estate business flourished after the birth of Vaishnavi. “Venkateswaramma was livid with Prabhakar after he transferred a huge part of his assets in Vaishnavi’s name, considering her a lucky mascot. The last straw was when he bought an expensive diamond jewellery for Vaishnavi on her last birthday celebrated barely days before her kidnap and murder,” sources said.

Meanwhile, Jayamma, Autonagar car garage watchman’s wife, said its owner Srinivasa Rao and Jagdish had spent the entire night there on Jan. 30, the day Vaishnavi was kidnapped. She, however, said she had no clue as to what they were up to during the odd hours. Her husband Dasaratharamaiah was also picked up by the police.
“They watched it completely burn in the furnace,” said a police official.