Pranay murder case convict dies after complaining of chest pain in Cherlapally jail

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Abdul Bari, one of the convicts serving a life sentence in the 2018 murder of Pranay Kumar in Miryalaguda, died after complaining of chest pain at Cherlapally jail on Thursday.

Bari, who was arrayed as accused number four (A4) in the case, was shifted from the prison to Gandhi Hospital following the complaint. He died while undergoing treatment at the hospital. His body was kept at the hospital for postmortem examination.

A resident of Pyarasabhag Colony in Nalgonda, Bari was among the six accused sentenced to life imprisonment by a Nalgonda court in March 2025. The court awarded death penalty to contract killer Subash Kumar Sharma.

Pranay was hacked to death outside a private hospital in Miryalaguda on September 14, 2018, shortly after his inter-caste marriage to Amrutha Varshini against her family’s wishes.

Police alleged that Amrutha’s father, T. Maruthi Rao, had arranged the murder. According to the chargesheet, Rao contacted Bari through Abdul Kareem, following which Bari and Asghar Ali allegedly helped arrange a contract killer. The deal was eventually settled at ₹1 crore.

Maruthi Rao, the prime accused, died by suicide at a guesthouse in Khairatabad on March 8, 2020, while the trial was pending. Police had found a purported suicide note addressed to Amrutha.

The trial continued against the remaining accused, culminating in the March 2025 verdict.

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