Published May 08, 2026 | 6:24 PM ⚊ Updated May 08, 2026 | 6:24 PM
Tanuja Ranjan was found dead on the first floor of the residence.
Synopsis: Police said Tanuja Ranjan was gagged with a cloth, leading to death by suffocation, in a room on the first floor. Preliminary findings suggested the accused had tied her up before fleeing with valuables. Investigators suspect that a Nepali domestic help the family had hired eight months ago might be behind the crime along with a gang.
Hyderabad woke up to the chilling news of the murder of Tanuja Ranjan (55), wife of former IPS officer and retired Director General-rank officer Vinay Ranjan Ray, on Friday, 8 May.
Tanuja was found dead at Prashasan Nagar residence in Jubilee Hills in the early hours.
Police were suspecting the involvement of the family’s domestic help, a Nepali national, and a gang allegedly linked to her. Special teams have been formed to trace the accused, believed to have escaped with valuables from the house after committing the crime.
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The incident occurred around 2 am at the multi-storey residence located in the upscale Prashasan Nagar, home to several serving and retired bureaucrats and senior officials.
Ray was reportedly in Bengaluru on personal work, while other family members were asleep on the upper floor and were unaware of the crime unfolding downstairs.
Police said the victim was allegedly gagged with a cloth, leading to death by suffocation, in a room on the first floor. Preliminary findings suggested the accused had tied her up before fleeing with valuables, the details of which were still being verified.
The domestic help had been working at the residence for the past eight months after she was hired to take care of the retired officer’s ailing mother a year ago. It has been suspected that she had been planning the operation for some time and allegedly alerted her associates after finding an opportunity when the former officer was away from home.
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Senior police officials, including DGP CV Anand and Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar, visited the scene and reviewed the progress of the investigation.
Speaking to the media after inspecting the spot, Sajjanar said police had gathered crucial clues and multiple teams were working to trace the accused.
“It is suspected that the offence occurred in the early hours of the day. We have collected some clues and special teams are working on the case. I request citizens to remain alert,” the Commissioner said.
Sajjanar said the crime appeared to have been carried out by a Nepali gang in collusion with the domestic help.
He said similar gangs had allegedly been involved in offences in other metropolitan cities as well.
Advising citizens to exercise caution while employing domestic workers and stressing the need for proper background verification, he said, “People should remain vigilant while hiring domestic helps and ensure proper verification. Such gangs are not confined to Hyderabad. Similar cases have been reported in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Pune. They usually strike when family members are away.”
The body was shifted for post-mortem examination, and a case has been registered. Further investigation is underway.
