HYDERABAD: Four individuals, including three IT professionals, have been arrested in connection with the death of Gajambikal Ajay Teja, 24, during a birthday party at a farmhouse on the outskirts of Hyderabad. The key suspects, Ranjith Reddy and Sai Kumar, allegedly pushed Teja into a pool, knowing he could not swim, and initially attempted to pass it off as an accidental drowning.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Ranjith and Sai had professional disagreements with Teja. Srikanth, an IT firm manager who organized the party, was arrested for serving liquor without the necessary permissions. Venkatesh, the farmhouse owner, was also arrested for failing to ensure pool safety.
“Srikanth planned the party for his employees to celebrate his birthday and reward his team for the successful completion of a project. The party was planned for Sept 1, and he informed everybody men and women staff about it on Aug 3 through a WhatsApp group,” said a police officer.
Around 12:30 a.m. on Monday, Ranjith and Sai pushed Teja into the pool and later rejoined the party. When Teja was later found unconscious, he was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. The case was initially filed as a suspicious death but was reclassified as murder following further investigation.
The accused confessed to the crime during questioning. “Their professional disputes led to this tragic outcome,” said S Saidulu, the station house officer. All four suspects have been placed in 14-day judicial remand.
