Butcher arrested after dismembered body found in Vijayawada canal

West Zone police of the Vijayawada NTR Police Commissionerate have arrested Shafi, a 45-year-old butcher from Bhavanipuram, in connection with the alleged murder of Kalyani alias Durga, 29, whose dismembered body was found in the VTPS cooling canal at Ibrahimpatnam on September 18. Police sources said a helper at Shafi’s mutton shop had also been detained for allegedly assisting in disposing of the body. The allegations have not been tested in court.

According to preliminary information cited by the police, Kalyani and Shafi knew each other and had been involved in a financial dispute. Police allege that Shafi took her to his house on September 17, where an argument over money broke out. During the quarrel, Shafi allegedly attacked Kalyani with a knife, killing her.

He then allegedly cut the body into several pieces with the assistance of the helper and disposed of the remains in the canal, police sources said. The investigation initially faced difficulty because the victim’s identity was not known. Police noticed a tattoo on one of the recovered body parts and circulated photographs of it through social-media groups.

They also examined missing-person reports from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana’s Bhadradri-Kothagudem and Khammam districts. Kalyani’s family recognised the tattoo and approached the police, leading to her identification. Police then examined her mobile-phone call records, traced Shafi and arrested him on Tuesday, September 29.

Kalyani was from Chinna Tatinada village in West Godavari district and had grown up in an NGO home at Gannavaram. She had married a man from Mangalagiri, had a son and was living alone after separating from her husband, police had earlier said.