In a shocking incident that unfolded on Sunday night, a former ward volunteer carried out a gruesome crime at an apartment in Sujathanagar, under the jurisdiction of Pendurthi police station, in Vizag city.

The victim, identified as 72-year-old Kotagiri Varalakshmi, was found smothered to death with a pillow at her residence. The accused, Rayavarapu Venkatesh, aged 26, was employed as a ward volunteer at the 95th Ward (Purushothapuram) of GVMC in Vizag city.

The tragic incident came to light when Varalakshmi's son, Kotagiri Srinivas, who runs a fast-food stall in Purushothapuram, returned to their apartment after closing the stall for the night. Srinivas and his mother lived together in the apartment. Venkatesh had recently joined the fast-food center as a part-time assistant, and he had become familiar with Srinivas during this time. A few days before the incident, Venkatesh had even visited Varalakshmi at her residence.

On that fateful Sunday, Venkatesh followed his routine duties at the fast-food center until 10 pm, after which he visited Srinivas's home. He then returned to the fast-food center around 11 pm. However, when Srinivas went home at midnight, he was horrified to discover his mother's lifeless body lying on the bed. The apartment had also been ransacked, with valuable gold jewelry and cash missing.

Srinivas immediately lodged a complaint with the Pendurthi police, who promptly arrived at the crime scene along with a forensic clues team. The police also scrutinized the CCTV footage from the apartment, which revealed Venkatesh entering Srinivas's house.

Taking swift action, the police apprehended Venkatesh, and the victim's body was transferred to KGH (King George Hospital) for a post-mortem examination to ascertain the exact cause of death.

This tragic and horrific event has left the community in shock and disbelief. The motive behind the crime remains under investigation as the authorities work to bring justice to the grieving family of Kotagiri Varalakshmi.