Visakhapatnam Police crack murder mystery of woman found in drum, send body for DNA test

After the gruesome murder of a mysterious woman came to light on Sunday, whose body parts were stuffed inside a drum for over a year, the Visakhapatnam City Police cracked the mystery behind it on Tuesday. The woman’s body parts have been sent for a DNA test to confirm the details.

The Visakhapatnam City Police, while addressing the media here on Tuesday, revealed the details of the murder. The deceased has been identified as Bammidi Dhana Lakshmi, aged 35, from Srikakulam. Based on her mobile number, the police ascertained her whereabouts and charted the murder mystery.

A special team was formed immediately on Sunday, and the accused was arrested within 12 hours. Identified as Dandu Rishivardhan, alias Koppisetty Rishivardhan (28), the accused hails from Kotturu Village of Palakonda Mandal of the Srikakulam District.

Ch Srikanth, Commissioner of Vizag City Police, said that Lakshmi and Rishivardhan met on 29 May 2021 in Srikakulam RTC Complex and travelled together to Nathavalasa Junction, where they also exchanged numbers. The deceased informed the accused she was coming to Vizag the next day, and the two met late at night. Rishi, the accused, took her to his residence in Vikalangula Colony, where the two engaged in a sexual relationship.

Also read: Delhi-like crime in Vizag, chopped body parts of a woman found in a drum in Madhurawada

The police reported that before the deceased left the accused’s house on 31 May, she demanded Rs 2000, and Rishi could not pay the money. This led to an argument, as the deceased threatened to shout and alert the neighbours. Rishi strangulated her, wrapped her body in a blanket, and stored it in a water drum inside the house. He fled the scene, switched off his phone for 13 days, and later escaped to Chennai.

This incident came to light when the house owner observed a foul stench from a house which had been locked for over a year. When he broke open the door, he found the plastic drum and immediately alerted the Vizag Police.

The police confirmed that the deceased body was not cut into pieces like in the Delhi case and that the whole body was stuffed inside the drum. The deceased has no parents and had an estranged relationship with her grandparents. No missing case for the deceased was filed.

The Visakhapatnam Police have now sent the body of the woman for a DNA test to establish a final identity in this murder case.

Stay tuned to Yo! Vizag for more updates.