Charlapalli techie suicide case takes twist as husband alleges harassment over property

Hyderabad: A dramatic new twist has emerged in the Charlapalli suicide case that sent shockwaves across Telangana with the tragic deaths of a techie woman and her two teenage children, who died by suicide after jumping in front of a goods train on the outskirts of Hyderabad in the early hours of January 31.

Three months after the incident, the woman's husband has come forward with a startling allegation that his wife may have been driven to the extreme step by mounting pressure from her own family over a property dispute.

Pinninti Vijaya Shanthi Reddy, 38, left behind a brief, anguished note - "I am fed up. I can't do this anymore" before she and her children, Chetana Reddy, 18, and Vishal Reddy, 17, jumped in front of a goods train at Charlapally station. What made the case particularly disturbing, and deeply baffling to police, was how Vijaya Reddy apparently persuaded both her teenage children to join her in the suicide pact.

The incident had remained shrouded in mystery. On the surface, there appeared to be no signs of trouble within the family, leaving police and the public at a loss to explain what could have driven a mother to such a devastating decision. Initial investigations suggested she may have been battling loneliness and depression, which could have prompted her to take the extreme step.

Now, however, Vijaya Reddy's husband, Surender Reddy who was based in Dubai at the time of the deaths has alleged that her brother Chiranjeevi, sister-in-law, and mother Pushpalatha had been persistently pressuring her to transfer certain properties into their names.

He believes this relentless pressure over the property dispute may have pushed her to the breaking point.

Surender Reddy has since approached Medipally police seeking protection, claiming his life is under threat from his wife's family members, and has also filed a formal complaint against them.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, he said, "Just days after their deaths, her family members started harassing me over property, and that is why I went to the police seeking protection. My mother-in-law Pushpalatha and brother-in-law Chiranjeevi are the reason. Our own people deceived and betrayed us as they separated my family from me for property. I was grieving the deaths of my wife and children, and they threatened me within 25 days. The money I was sending from Dubai was being invested by her brother in real estate. Since the money was ours, the properties were registered either in my wife's name or mine. But her brother increasingly pressured her to transfer them into his name. My wife and children were not cowards. If I die, I will leave all my property to my parents and a trust.”

Surender Reddy, who returned to Hyderabad after learning of the deaths, has also given his statement to the police. Relatives and neighbours have maintained that the family showed no obvious signs of financial difficulty or internal conflict, making the tragedy all the more painful for the community.