Published Aug 19, 2026 | 5:22 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 19, 2026 | 10:21 PM
Kallu Roopa Reddy was stabbed 27 times on her abdomen and left hand.
Synopsis: Telangana police have arrested two Class 10 students for the murder of Kallu Roopa Reddy, a 50-year-old school principal, who was found stabbed to death at her home in Kondamallepally, Nalgonda district. Police said she was stabbed 27 times.
Telangana police have arrested two Class 10 students for the murder of a school principal in Kondamallepally in Nalgonda district, days after she was found stabbed to death inside her home.
The victim, 50-year-old Kallu Roopa Reddy, was the principal of Nagarjuna Grammar Concept School in Kondamallepally. Two of the accused were Class 10 students at the same school.
Police said Roopa Reddy was stabbed 27 times. The accused duo allegedly continued attending school after the murder without arousing suspicion.
Investigators suspect that more than ₹2 lakh in cash was stolen from the house and are examining whether robbery was the motive.
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Roopa Reddy lived at the family’s house in JB Colony, while her husband, Rajendar Reddy, and their son stayed in Hyderabad. She would join them there during holidays.
The family had travelled together to Chirala beach in Andhra Pradesh in the first week of August and returned to Hyderabad on 7 August. On 11 August, Roopa Reddy travelled back to Kondamallepally by bus from Byramalguda.
The next morning, when he could not reach her by phone, Rajendar Reddy went to the JB Colony house at around 8.30 am and found her lying in a pool of blood near the puja room, with stab wounds on her abdomen and left hand.
Her son, Kallu Abhinav Reddy, returned shortly afterwards and filed a complaint. Kondamallepally police registered a case under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
After questioning more than 80 people, investigators traced the two boys from two hamlets in Kondamallepally mandal and detained them near Ibrahimpatnam.
Detailing the crime and the investigation, Nalgonda SP Sharath Chandra Pawar said five teams probed the gruesome murder. After verifying footage from 70 CCTV cameras and questioning over 80 people, the police zeroed in on two students from the school.
Roopa’s last call was to her aunt, who told the police that her last word was ‘babu’, which she used to refer to her students.
After Roopa’s murder, the school was closed for four days. Thirteen students who failed to attend the first few days upon reopening were called for questioning.
Of the 13, five were Class 10 students. Police focused on students reportedly spending lavishly and making expensive purchases, which led them to zero in on the two accused, who eventually confessed to the act.
Police said the two held old grudges against the principal, who had reprimanded them earlier for carrying large amounts of cash to school. One of them was removed from the hostel and was asked to continue as a day scholar. His parents were called in, and the principal made several complaints about his conduct.
The two accused were also looking for ways to make quick money. They implemented their plan after school on 11 August as school fees were collected that day and they expected the principal to have a large amount of cash.
The police said the accused conducted a recce of the principal’s home a week earlier. They purchased knives, gloves, and masks from a local shop.
CCTV footage found one of the accused in a red hoodie arriving near Roopa’s JB Colony home on a scooty. The boy is suspected to have entered and left from the back door where there was no camera.
Only one of them entered the home while the other waited outside. Roopa saw the accused leave after stealing cash from her home. When his mask slipped, she reportedly recognised him and called him ‘babu’.
The accused reportedly stabbed the principal with the knife because he was afraid he would be caught. He also took away her phone because he did not want her to out him if she was still able to speak.
Police recovered ₹1.54 Lakh in cash, a newly purchased mobile phone, and Roopa’s phone.
Another clue that led to the confirmation was the recovery of currency notes with blood stains on them.
As the two accused are still minors, they have been produced before a juvenile court. Police will continue the investigation and are seeking custody of the accused.
(With inputs from Sreshta Ladegaam)
