According to police, Shafi was identified through CCTV footage, technical investigation and other evidence gathered during the probe.
Published: September 30, 2026, 12:15 AM IST
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Kalyani would threaten Shafi that she would raise a hue and cry if he didn’t pay her whenever she demanded moneyRepresentational Image
A butcher was arrested in Andhra Pradesh’s Vijayawada on Tuesday in connection with the brutal murder and dismemberment of a woman from Mangalagiri, whose body parts were recovered from a cooling canal in Ibrahimpatnam.
The case came to light on September 18 when police received information about a headless torso lying near the VTPS cooling canalIbrahimpatnam police rushed to the spot and registered a murder case.
On the second day, a joint team of police, NDRF personnel and drone operators searched the canal againThey recovered the head, legs and other remains, though one hand still hasn’t been foundEverything recovered has gone for post-mortem.
According to Durga Rao, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Vijayawada West, 45-year-old Shaik Shafi, who runs a mutton shop in Bhavanipuram area of the city, had murdered Kalyani on September 17 and later cut her body into piecesThe incident happened as a fallout of monetary issues.
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“Shafi has been arrested for slitting Kalyani’s throat and later cutting her body into pieces and dumping them in a canal,” Rao told PTIAs Shafi has only three daughters, he had adopted Kalyani’s son four years agoPolice said the duo had also been intimate brieflyHowever, police said Shafi claimed that Kalyani would frequently demand money and treat him like an ATM, taking thousands of rupees.
Allegedly taking advantage of the fact that she had given her son for adoption, Kalyani would threaten Shafi that she would raise a hue and cry if he didn’t pay her whenever she demanded money, police saidUnable to bear this alleged harassment, Shafi invited Kalyani to his home on September 17 when his family members were away.
On that fateful day, Shafi alleged that Kalyani had demanded Rs 1 lakh, but he offered only Rs 15,000, leading to a quarrel, police saidLater, the enraged butcher allegedly slit Kalyani’s throat and then cut her body into pieces, they saidTo cover up the murder and wipe out evidence, police said Shafi dumped Kalyani’s body parts in the cooling canal of Vijayawada Thermal Power Station (VTPS) with the help of Shaik Abdulla.
Police arrested Shafi and Abdulla under relevant sections of the BNSAccording to police, Kalyani lost her mother at an early age, while her father would not care for her and her brother due to his wayward lifestyle.
