A 29-year-old IT professional was allegedly stabbed to death inside her apartment in Hyderabad on Wednesday by her former husband, who police say had been harbouring resentment over a domestic violence case filed against him. The accused, in his 30s, was taken into custody after officers intervened at the scene.
Investigators said the man had been unable to return to Canada, where he previously worked at an IT firm, because of legal proceedings initiated by the woman. A lookout circular had been issued against him, and his passport suspended, preventing his travel abroad.
The victim’s second husband has claimed in his complaint that she was three months pregnant. Police said the pregnancy has not yet been confirmed, and the post-mortem report is awaited.
Relationship history and legal dispute
The couple married in 2022 in India before moving to Canada. According to officials, differences emerged and the woman returned to India, where she later filed a domestic violence case against him in Maharashtra.
Their divorce was finalised in 2024. She remarried in April 2025.
The accused returned to India in March this year after his mother’s death. Police said he was unemployed and staying at his parents’ home in Peddapalli district of Telangana. Officials said he believed that the legal case had caused “mental suffering” to him and his family, and blamed his former wife for his mother’s death.
Police say attack was premeditated
According to investigators, the man tracked the woman’s address through her social media accounts and came to Hyderabad about two months ago. He stayed in a hostel and is believed to have surveyed the apartment building before the attack.
On Wednesday, he allegedly arrived at the flat carrying a bag that contained two knives, a drilling machine, and a can of petrol.
Police said he forced his way inside, entered the room where the woman was present, and locked the door from within. She was stabbed multiple times in the head.
At the time of the incident, the woman’s mother-in-law was on the balcony. Family members alerted the police. When officers reached the spot, they found the accused had poured petrol in the room and locked himself inside a toilet.
He reportedly threatened to set the room on fire before being persuaded to surrender. CCTV footage broadcast by local television channels showed him entering the building with a bag.
Police said further investigation is underway.