HYDERABAD: A string of deeply disturbing child murders in Telangana, carried out by parents, has exposed a mounting crisis fuelled by mental health distress, domestic conflict, and the absence of adequate support systems. The state has witnessed three unrelated incidents in recent weeks that have shocked the public and raised urgent questions about how families in emotional or financial distress are falling through the cracks.
Tragedy in Bachupally: mother poisons daughter
In Bachupally’s Pragathi Nagar area, a four-year-old girl was allegedly poisoned by her mother, Namburi Krishna Pavani, who later attempted suicide. She is said to have mixed rat poison into a soft drink and given it to her daughter before consuming it herself. The father, Sambasiva Rao, found them unconscious the next morning and rushed them to the hospital. While the child succumbed, the mother remains in critical condition. Relatives cited the child’s long-standing health issues as a cause of Pavani’s extreme distress.
Triple homicide over illicit affair in Sangareddy
In Sangareddy district’s Aminpur area, Rajitha, a private school teacher, is accused of poisoning her three children. According to police, she believed they were a barrier to her extramarital relationship with a former classmate. After killing the children, she pretended to have attempted suicide herself, but later confessed during police questioning. This horrific case added to the growing number of child murders in Telangana, where personal and psychological turmoil has led to irreversible outcomes.
Gajularamaram horror: mother kills two sons, jumps to death
A third incident occurred in Gajularamaram under Jeedimetla police limits, where Tejaswini, mother of two, allegedly killed her sons, Ashish Reddy and Harshit Reddy—before leaping from her apartment’s sixth floor. Suffering from a vision disorder and struggling with her children’s respiratory illnesses, she left a note describing her despair and lack of spousal support, despite the family’s financial stability.
A societal breakdown in focus
These tragic child murders in Telangana underscore a grim reality: when psychological stress and social isolation go unchecked, the family unit itself becomes a space of violence. Mental health professionals and social workers are urging the government to prioritise intervention programmes, awareness campaigns, and accessible mental health services.
“These incidents are not isolated crimes; they are desperate acts from people who felt completely alone,” said a Hyderabad-based psychologist. As Telangana mourns these young lives lost, there is growing pressure on authorities to ensure that no more children become victims of preventable tragedies.
