A 29-year-old pregnant software professional, Sunitha, was brutally murdered inside her apartment in Vanasthalipuram, Hyderabad, on Wednesday, in an attack that has shocked the city’s IT community.
Police said her ex-husband, Devarakonda Mahesh, allegedly stormed into her fourth-floor flat around noon, locked the bedroom door and stabbed her multiple times, including in the head. Sunitha was reportedly about three months pregnant at the time of the attack, and was found lying in a pool of blood by family members after her screams prompted them to rush to her room.
Investigators believe the killing was a premeditated act of revenge. Mahesh, also a software professional, had divorced Sunitha in 2024 after marital troubles and a domestic violence complaint she filed, which led to a Look Out Circular being issued against him.
Sunitha had returned to India, remarried in 2025, and was living with her new husband’s family when Mahesh, who tracked her address via her social media, allegedly carried a bag containing knives, a chainsaw and petrol to the crime scene. After the attack, he locked himself in the washroom and was later taken into custody by police. A murder case has been registered and further investigation is underway.
