Hyderabad: Police have concluded that severe depression drove an IT professional to take her own life along with her two children in the sensational Charlapalli family suicide case that shook the Telugu states. After nine days of investigation, police said depression was the primary reason behind the deaths.
According to police findings, the woman, identified as Vijayshanti Reddy, exercised complete control over her intermediate-studying children, Chetana Reddy and Vishal Reddy. Investigators said she developed intense anxiety over what would happen to them after her death. In that state of mind, she allegedly convinced the children to die with her.
Vijayshanti, a resident of Uppal, was married to Surender Reddy, who works in Dubai. On the night of January 30, she brought the children from their hostel in her car and drove to Charlapalli railway station. Police said she wrote a suicide note on a parking slip, stating that she no longer wanted to live.
Depression cited as key factor in Charlapalli family suicide
CCTV footage confirmed that the mother and children later jumped in front of a goods train, leading to their deaths on the spot. The visuals played a key role in reconstructing the sequence of events, police said.
Treating the case as a major challenge, investigators recorded statements from Vijayshanti’s husband, mother, brother, and colleagues. They also examined her laptop, WhatsApp chats, and call records. Police found no evidence of financial distress or serious family disputes.
However, officials said Vijayshanti was suffering from deep psychological stress. While depression emerged as the core cause, police said they were still probing what triggered such an extreme mental state. Authorities said they would soon disclose further details after completing the remaining inquiry.