A real estate businessman in Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh, has been arrested for allegedly murdering his divorced and childless younger sister to fraudulently claim a Rs 1 crore insurance payout. The accused, 30-year-old Malapati Ashok Kumar was taken into custody for the crime, which occurred on February 2, 2024, near a petrol station in Podili, the police confirmed on Tuesday.
Kumar, who was struggling with heavy debts, allegedly devised a plan to insure his sister’s life with multiple insurance companies, murder her, and stage it as an accident to claim the payout. Investigators revealed that he had meticulously planned the crime, ensuring the policies were in place before executing his scheme.
On the day of the incident, Kumar lured his sister into his car under the pretext of a hospital visit to Ongole. During the return journey, he allegedly administered sleeping pills to her before smothering her to death. He then attempted to stage the murder as an accident, police said.
Following an investigation, authorities arrested Kumar and charged him under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 120(B) (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence). Further inquiries are ongoing to determine whether he had accomplices or had attempted similar crimes in the past.
With inputs from PTI