It's a tale of murder fit for the movies—which is just where Swati Reddy allegedly got her inspiration. Police in southern India say the 27-year-old nurse killed her husband, then poured acid on the face of her lover in an effort to pass him off as her spouse. And she nearly succeeded. Telangana police say Reddy convinced her husband's parents that their son had been the victim of an acid attack, when the man lying in a hospital bed was actually her lover, Rajesh Ajjakolu, reports the BBC. But while the parents paid Ajjakolu's medical bills—with plastic surgery to be included—their other son grew suspicious. Police say Ajjakolu refused a meal of mutton soup, claiming he was a vegetarian though Reddy's husband wasn't, per the Khaleej Times. When he couldn't identify relatives and began communicating with signs, the family went to police.
After fingerprints revealed Ajjakolu to be an imposter, authorities say Reddy admitted she and Ajjakolu killed her husband, Sudhakar Reddy. The murder is believed to have taken place on Nov. 26. According to Gulf News, Reddy is accused of injecting her husband with anesthesia before hitting him on the head, with Ajjakolu's help. Police believe the couple burned the man's body the next day. A day later, Ajjakolu was admitted to hospital with facial burns police now say were caused by Reddy deliberately pouring acid on his face to disfigure him. Reddy, who was arrested Sunday, reportedly told authorities she was inspired by the 2014 Indian movie Yevadu, in which a person emerges from plastic surgery with the face of a deceased man, per the Hindustan Times. Ajjakolu is to be taken into custody upon his release from the hospital. (More murder stories.)
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