Hyderabad: Industrialist dies after grandson 'stabs him 73 times' over property dispute

An 86-year-old industrialist dies after he was allegedly stabbed 73 times at his residence in Hyderabad by his grandson over a property dispute.

The multiple stab wounds immediately led to the death of the victim, VC Janardhan Rao, the chairman and MD of the ₹460-crore Veljan Group of Companies, said the police.

Further, the police said on Sunday (February 10) that the incident occurred on February 6th night when the accused, K Kirti Teja (29 years), 'attacked' his grandfather, Janardhan Rao, with a knife.

The accused also stabbed his mother Sarojini Devi when she tried to intervene. She sustained injuries and was admitted to a hospital, Panjagutta police said, adding that he was subsequently arrested on Saturday.

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The argument

Teja and his mother, who live in another part of the city, visited Rao’s house in Somajiguda on Thursday. While she went to get coffee, an argument broke out between Teja and Rao over the distribution of his property, police said.

Rao had recently appointed his eldest daughter's son Srikrishna as director of Veljan Group, while he had transferred shares worth ₹4 crore to Teja, his second daughter Sarojini's son.

Teja took out a knife and 'attacked' his grandfather, accusing him of being indifferent toward him since childhood and "refusing" to distribute the property to him, police said, citing preliminary investigations.

Stabbed 70 times

When asked about reports that the victim was allegedly stabbed more than 70 times, police stated that there were multiple stab wounds and that the exact number would be confirmed based on the post-mortem examination (PME) report.

The accused had recently returned to Hyderabad from the US after completing his master’s degree, police said.

The arrest

After the killing, Teja threatened the security guard who witnessed the murder and fled the scene. He was later arrested based on a complaint and a case of murder was registered. Teja was produced in court and sent to judicial custody. Further investigation is ongoing.

Established in 1965, Veljan has expertise in providing complete solutions for various applications, including shipbuilding, energy, mobile, and industrial segments, according to the company's website. Rao was also a philanthropist and had made huge donations to the Government General Hospital in Eluru and the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam.