Andhra Couple Who Allegedly Killed Daughters Need Psych Evaluation

Psychiatrists Dr Radhika, Dr Lakshmi Prasad and Dr Raja Rao conducted a psychological evaluation of the accused.

The couple from Andhra Pradesh, who have been accused of killing their two adult daughters in Madanapalle in Chittoor district, were evaluated by a team of psychiatrists on Wednesday, 27 January.

(Photo Courtesy: J Suryanarayan Reddy)

The couple from Andhra Pradesh, who have been accused of killing their two adult daughters in Madanapalle in Chittoor district, were evaluated by a team of psychiatrists on Wednesday, 27 January. However, as the couple, especially the mother of the two daughters, was not cooperating, the team has recommended a complete psychiatric evaluation.

The couple, V Purushotam Naidu is a lecturer at the government women's degree college, and his wife V Padmaja is a mathematics teacher. Sub-jail authorities have lodged Padmaja in a special cell while Purushottam Naidu in a common cell.

On the request of the jail superintendent Ramakrishna Yadav, psychiatrists Dr Radhika, Dr Lakshmi Prasad and Dr Raja Rao have conducted a psychological evaluation of the accused at the jail.

Dr Radhika, who spoke to the media, said “On our visit to Madanapalle Sub Jail to evaluate the both accused, Padmaja has not cooperated with us by refusing to answer questions, while Pursuhottam Naidu gave some answers but he still believes that their children are forms of Shiva and they will resurrect. They require a complete psychiatric evaluation. We have referred them to the higher centers, a conclusion report can only be given after complete evaluation.”

The couple, who believe that their daughters will come back to life, responded to police queries with chants about Lord Shiva during the investigation.

“They are chanting about Lord Shiva, saying ‘Om Namashivaya’,” a police officer told IANS on Wednesday. However, he said the two were responding properly to the questions, but lacing their answers with Lord Shiva chants. Currently, both of them are lodged in the Madanapalle sub-jail.

TV Channels Spinning Theories for TRPs: Police

Following the sensational double murder, the police are busy probing the case and are gathering information from the neighbours. “We are examining the neighbours, family friends and relatives. We are also analysing CCTV footage. As per the information we have so far, only four persons were present in the house when the incident took place,” the officer said.

However, he dismissed theories of the presence of a fifth person or anybody else such as a tantric, which are being propounded by some local Telugu news channels

“For their TRP ratings, some channels are creating a hype. If some tantric did come, let them display his photo. It will give us a clue, which we will examine. It will be more useful for the investigation,” he asserted.

Police are unclear as to how the couple took to superstition and occult. "This will not be decided in a few days. We have to check if they visited any temple or ashram," said the officer. The police are examining CCTV footage of the past few days in their quest for clues.

On Tuesday, Padmaja was taken for a coronavirus test, where she was found to be talking about the pandemic and spirituality which others could not understand. She was made to sit on a chair as a healthcare worker tried to take her swab, but she reportedly continued to behave strangely with unconnected gestures.

The police have not sealed the house and the couple's relatives are visiting it.

The couple's elder daughter Alekhya (27) had completed a diploma in forest studies from Bhopal, while younger daughter Sai Divya (22) studied BBA. Divya was also a student at a music school in Chennai.

(The story has been published in an arrangement with The News Minute.)