The Case of Killer Soup

Mutton soup, which foiled a perfect murder plan, pushed the criminal to the extremes of insanity to ensure its success. This was a crime unlike any other, conceived in a way that no one had ever thought or done before. The plan was so intricate that the killer had to burn their own face to make it work. It might sound like a movie plot because it was indeed inspired by a Telugu film. If you think the mutton soup was poisoned, you are mistaken. The soup is not a murder weapon but a character that will reveal all the secrets in the end.

In 2017, at a private hospital in Nagarkurnool, Telangana, Swati rushed in with a man whose face was severely burned, and he was screaming in pain. The hospital staff and onlookers were shocked at the sight. Swati, in a panicked state, informed the staff that this man was her husband, Sudhakar Reddy, who had been attacked by some people who poured petrol on him and set him on fire.

The staff immediately took him to the emergency ward and began treatment. A few days later, Sudhakar's condition improved, but his face was badly disfigured. The doctor suggested plastic surgery to repair his face, and Swati agreed. Plastic surgery is a costly procedure, but since Sudhakar was a businessman, Swati could afford it. Swati informed all family members and relatives about the incident, and upon hearing this, Sudhakar's mother, his brother Surendra, and other family members rushed to the hospital. They saw that his face was completely bandaged, and although he was trying to speak, the pain was so severe that it affected his throat, making it difficult for him to talk clearly.

As days passed and Sudhakar's health improved, the doctor suggested he start on a liquid diet. This is where the story took an interesting turn. Sudhakar loved mutton soup, so his mother made some and brought it to the hospital. Surprisingly, Sudhakar refused to drink it. His mother insisted, and his brother Surendra also tried to persuade him, but he adamantly refused to drink the soup. In such conditions, people usually crave their favorite foods during recovery. Sudhakar's refusal to drink the soup, despite being a big fan of it, raised suspicion in Surendra's mind, but he didn't share his doubts with anyone.

Sudhakar's face was more than 30% burnt, but his health had significantly improved. His brother noticed changes in Sudhakar's way of sitting, standing, and speaking. It seemed as if his entire personality had changed along with his face. These observations intensified Surendra's suspicions, leading him to go straight to the police without telling anyone and narrate the entire incident: how his brother was attacked, and yet his wife Swati hadn't filed a police complaint. He also mentioned Sudhakar's refusal to drink mutton soup, which was his favorite.

The police found these details strange and couldn't understand what Surendra was implying since refusing food isn't a crime. Then Surendra revealed his deepest suspicion, which shocked the police: he believed the man in the hospital was not his brother Sudhakar, but someone else. This was the most unusual case the police had encountered, so they assigned a special investigator to it.

To determine if the man was indeed Sudhakar, they needed his fingerprints. Secretly, the police collected fingerprints from the hospitalized man and started matching them with Sudhakar's records from Aadhaar and bank data. A few days later, the results came in: the fingerprints did not match. The man they had been treating as their son and brother all this time was not Sudhakar.

This revelation shocked everyone, from the police to Swati and both families. Swati's father had even spent 5 lakh rupees on the man's treatment, believing him to be his son-in-law. Now the question arose: who was this man, and where was the real Sudhakar? Why was Swati insisting he was her husband? What secret was Swati hiding from everyone?

The police summoned Swati to the station to question her in detail about the attack on Sudhakar and the subsequent events leading up to his hospitalization. During the interrogation, they found numerous inconsistencies and loopholes in her statements. When pressed hard, Swati, not being a professional criminal, eventually broke down and confessed to a truth that no one could have imagined.

In 2014, Swati married Sudhakar in an arranged marriage. Sudhakar was a businessman, and Swati worked as a nurse in a hospital. They had two young children, a son named Darshit and a daughter named Harshita. A few years into the marriage, Swati began experiencing severe back pain. When the pain became unbearable, she visited a doctor with Sudhakar, who recommended a physiotherapist named Rajesh. Initially, Swati attended the sessions with Sudhakar, but due to his busy schedule, she started going alone. Over time, Swati and Rajesh developed an affair.

As their relationship deepened, Swati and Rajesh decided to pursue their desires at any cost. Despite Swati and Sudhakar's married life appearing normal, Swati saw no strong reason to divorce him, as it would mean losing access to Sudhakar's property. Consumed by their obsession, Swati and Rajesh concocted various plans. One day, Swati watched the Telugu movie "Yevadu," which sparked a sinister idea in her mind. She shared this idea with Rajesh.

In the movie, a character undergoes plastic surgery to change their identity completely. Swati and Rajesh watched this movie over 20 times, meticulously studying it. Swati then devised an almost unbelievable plan. According to this plan, she started training Rajesh to mimic Sudhakar's every detail—his sitting, walking, gestures, dressing style, and other minor habits.

On November 26, 2017, their plan reached its final stage. Rajesh, with Swati's coaching, had become proficient in mimicking Sudhakar. They decided it was time to put their plan into action.

The plan was to stage an attack on Sudhakar, set him on fire with petrol, and then replace him with Rajesh, who would undergo plastic surgery to permanently adopt Sudhakar's identity. They believed that if Rajesh’s face was sufficiently burnt, the need for extensive reconstructive surgery would provide the perfect cover for the switch.

Swati and Rajesh executed the first part of their plan. Rajesh attacked Sudhakar, set him on fire, and then, with Swati’s help, presented himself at the hospital as the burnt Sudhakar. The plan was almost foolproof, except for one detail that Rajesh couldn’t replicate—Sudhakar's love for mutton soup.

When Swati brought mutton soup to the hospital, and Rajesh refused it, this raised suspicion in Sudhakar's brother, Surendra. His gut feeling and the inconsistency in Rajesh's behavior led him to alert the police, who then conducted a fingerprint test that exposed the truth.

Swati's confession revealed the depth of their planning and how they had meticulously studied and rehearsed every aspect. The revelation shocked both families, and the police now had the critical task of finding the real Sudhakar and bringing Swati and Rajesh to justice.

The Day of the Murder

It was a Sunday, a day both Swati and Rajesh had chosen specifically because Sudhakar would be at home. Swati, being a nurse, had extensive knowledge of using anesthesia. According to their plan, Swati first sedated Sudhakar with anesthesia, rendering him unconscious, and then quietly brought Rajesh into the house. Together, they used an iron rod to fatally strike Sudhakar on the head and then disfigured his face to make identification difficult if the body were ever found. They wrapped the body in a sheet and took it to the forests of Mahbubnagar, where they burned and buried it to destroy all evidence.

With the first part of their plan complete, they moved on to the second, more horrific phase. According to the movie they had watched, Rajesh had to take Sudhakar's place. For this to be convincing, Rajesh's face needed to be altered through plastic surgery to resemble Sudhakar's. However, plastic surgery would only be plausible if Rajesh's face was severely damaged in an "accident."

Swati convinced Rajesh to pour acid on his face, causing severe burns that would necessitate reconstructive surgery. Initially hesitant, Rajesh eventually agreed, driven by his love for Swati. On November 27, 2017, the day after the murder, Swati meticulously poured acid on Rajesh's face, burning it severely. Despite the excruciating pain and Rajesh's screams, Swati took him to the hospital, presenting him as her husband, Sudhakar.

The plan was almost perfect, but it unraveled due to a seemingly minor detail—Rajesh's dietary preferences. As the real Sudhakar loved mutton soup, Swati's mother-in-law brought it for him during his recovery. Rajesh, being a vegetarian, refused to drink it, raising suspicion in Sudhakar's brother, Surendra. This refusal was highly unusual for someone recovering and craving their favorite food.

Surendra, already wary of Rajesh's changed demeanor and actions, reported his suspicions to the police. The police found it strange that Rajesh, supposedly Sudhakar, refused his favorite soup and that Swati hadn't filed a police complaint about the attack. Surendra's intuition and Rajesh's behavior led the police to take fingerprints from the hospitalized man secretly. The results confirmed that the fingerprints did not match Sudhakar's records, revealing the truth.

Swati's confession under police interrogation disclosed the entire plot. It was a case of extreme obsession and meticulous planning inspired by a movie. Despite their detailed preparation, Swati and Rajesh overlooked the complexity of human identity—social circles, work life, personal habits, and relationships that go beyond mere physical appearance.

In the end, both Swati and Rajesh were arrested. This case highlighted the lengths to which some people might go for their desires, but it also reinforced the age-old truth that evil deeds ultimately lead to a downfall. The intricate planning and the gruesome execution of their plot failed, proving once again that crime does not pay.