Hyderabad: Hyderabad police arrested five people in the retired IPS officer’s wife murder case involving Tanuja, wife of former IPS officer Vinay Ranjan Ray. The arrests followed a five-month investigation that took special police teams to Nepal in pursuit of the suspects. Police arrested prime accused Kalpana, who had allegedly fled the country after the killing, along with four others.
The murder took place on May 7 at Ray’s residence in Prashasan Nagar, within Jubilee Hills police limits. According to the investigation details, Kalpana, a Nepal national who worked at the house, allegedly carried out the crime with four associates. The group allegedly forced cloth into Tanuja’s mouth before killing her. They then stole gold, cash and other valuables from the house and escaped towards Nepal through the Bihar border.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner Sajjanar and Task Force Deputy Commissioner Vaibhav Gaikwad made the case a priority. They deployed three special teams to trace the accused. However, the suspects’ flight across the international border complicated the investigation.
Retired IPS officer’s wife murder probe leads police to Nepal
Over nearly five months, special police teams travelled to Nepal three times to search for the suspects. Officers reportedly moved around as ordinary citizens to avoid drawing attention. They monitored hair salons, jewellery shops and food outlets while gathering leads.
Meanwhile, investigators developed contacts with people of Indian origin living in Nepal to collect information. They also worked with local authorities and followed Nepal’s laws and international procedures during the operation.
A key breakthrough came when police received information that Kalpana’s son was travelling to Mumbai. Officers detained him and used information from the investigation to bring Kalpana back to India, where they arrested her, according to the account provided. Her information then helped police locate and arrest the remaining four suspects.
Investigators also found that one of the accused had allegedly travelled from Nepal to Delhi during the period. The suspect reportedly helped carry out another robbery before returning to Nepal.
With all five suspects in custody, police prepared to present them before the media the following day. The retired IPS officer’s wife murder investigation covered the killing, the alleged theft of valuables and the suspects’ movements across the India-Nepal border.