Revenge plot ends in tragic death: Teacher stabbed 27 times by minor student in Telangana

Teacher Stabbed 27 Times by Two Minor Students in Telangana Revenge Plot

The Discovery

Indiadailyupdate.com – In Kondamallepally village, Nalgonda district, the body of school principal Kallu Roopa Reddy, 48, was found lying in a pool of blood the morning after she was fatally attacked at home. Her husband, Rajender Reddy, grew alarmed when she failed to answer his phone calls. He reached out to tenants occupying the upper floor of the house, asking them to check on her. They, too, received no reply. A passing sub-inspector was flagged down and peered through various windows, catching only a glimpse of her leg from the kitchen. The group forced entry and discovered the principal’s corpse.

The crime had been committed the previous evening, August 11. Roopa Reddy had arrived home at 5:30 pm, unaware that one of her own students was already inside, searching for cash. When she spotted the intruder and attempted to stop him, the boy panicked — terrified she would identify him — and drove a knife into her body 27 times until she ceased to respond. He pocketed Rs 2.5 lakh in collected school fees and fled into the night.

The Motive and the Plan

The victim was principal of Nagarjuna Public School, the same institution where both perpetrators were enrolled. The grudge originated when Roopa Reddy reprimanded a Class X student for drinking alcohol in the hostel and for using a cell phone. The boy nursed resentment and resolved to steal the fee money she had gathered, recruiting a friend to assist. Over the course of a week, the two tracked her daily movements. They purchased gloves and a knife to execute the robbery.

On the night of the attack, Rajender Reddy had already departed for Hyderabad on work, and the couple’s son was away in the city pursuing his studies. One of the boys donned a red hoodie and matching pants as a disguise and perched atop a nearby water tank to keep watch on the street. His accomplice slipped into the house to lift the cash, reasoning that the principal would keep collected fees at home.

Investigation and Arrest

Police traced their first clue to the principal’s final phone call, placed to her aunt. Midway through the conversation, she cried out, “Babu… babu”, then went silent. Investigators learned that Roopa Reddy habitually addressed her male students as “babu,” prompting suspicion that pupils were involved. After questioning the student body, officers identified two boys who had been absent since the murder and were spending money with conspicuous ease.

The pair was arrested on August 18. From their possession, police recovered ₹1.54 lakh in cash along with two smartphones. Following further interrogation, the students reportedly confessed. Nalgonda Superintendent of Police Sarath Chandra confirmed at a press briefing that blood marks and scattered currency notes had been located at the scene. The accused were transferred to a juvenile home.

Authorities said the case was ultimately cracked through footage from 70 CCTV cameras, which captured a student loitering in a red hoodie — the very detail that led investigators to the two minors.

Expert Commentary

Visesh, a psychologist based in Hyderabad, posted on social media that the incident exposes several troubling psychological patterns, including instrumental criminal behaviour, consequence blindness, and moral disengagement.

“It was not the weapon that killed the principal, but the thought process of the students, and they could do that fearlessly.”

He urged parents to monitor warning indicators such as repeated stealing, substance use, persistent lying, repeated aggression, serious rule violations, cruelty, revenge thinking, and an absence of remorse. He further advised school authorities to engage parents constructively when such traits surface, rather than simply labelling children as “bad kids.”

“Humiliation must be avoided at all costs, as it could act as a trigger — like in this case. The remedial measures must be constructive and scientific. This could be done through school counselling.”