Visakhapatnam: A 30-year-old Indian Navy personnel was arrested on Monday for allegedly murdering a woman he was in a relationship with and dismembering her body in a shocking crime that has stunned the city.
The accused, identified as Chintada Ravindra, later surrendered at the Gajuwaka police station and confessed to the crime.
According to police, Ravindra had been in a relationship with 31-year-old Polipalli Mounika, a resident of Sanjeevayya Colony in the Tatichetlapalem area. The two reportedly met through a dating application in 2021 and continued their relationship even after Ravindra got married in 2024.
The incident took place on the night of March 29 at Ravindra’s rented flat in the LV Nagar area, while his wife was away visiting her parents. Police said he had called Mounika to his residence, where an argument broke out between the two.
During the altercation, Ravindra allegedly killed her by suffocation. Investigators say he then attempted to dispose of the body in a calculated manner. He reportedly procured a knife through an online delivery platform and dismembered the body.
Parts of the body were stored at his residence, while others were taken to a secluded, hilly area near Darapalem in the Simhachalam region, where they were burned using petrol, police said.
Following the incident, Ravindra contacted a friend, who advised him to surrender. Police later recovered remains from both his residence and the disposal site.
Visakhapatnam Police Commissioner Sankhabrata Bagchi said the accused is posted at INS Dega and hails from Rajam in Vizianagaram district. Preliminary investigation suggests the altercation may have been linked to financial disputes and threats related to revealing the relationship.
In his statement to police, Ravindra alleged that Mounika had taken money from him over several years. However, the victim’s family has strongly denied these claims.
Mounika’s father, Venugopal, said his daughter was financially independent, working part-time with a bank and also associated with an event management firm. He alleged that Ravindra murdered her out of fear that the relationship would be exposed, potentially affecting his job and marriage.
Tensions ran high during the investigation, with the victim’s relatives attempting to attack the accused during a crime scene reconstruction at his residence.
Police said further investigation into the case is ongoing.
