Police File Atrocities and Murder Charges, Hunt Suspect in Killing of Pregnant Tribal Woman in Telangana

Overview

• Athram Sammakka, 25, who was seven months pregnant, was found bludgeoned to death in a forest between Kondapalli and Sulugupalli in Penchikalpet mandal.
• Police identified Kelkari Jalapathi of Jaihindpur as the suspect, citing his phone call to his brother in which he said he killed her after she pressed him to marry her.
• Investigators say the pair had a four-year relationship despite his being married, and that he allegedly lured her to the forest before the attack.
• Following a complaint from the family, cases were registered under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act and for murder under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the body was sent to the Sirpur (T) government hospital for postmortem.
• The suspect remains at large as a search continues, while tribal groups point to similar recent cases and call for steps such as a protection board for inter-caste marriages.