Hyderabad: A Telangana man accused of killing his Dalit Christian son-in-law in September 2018, allegedly committed suicide at a lodge here, police said on Sunday.
Maruti Rao, aged around 53, into real estate and other businesses, was found dead in his room in the morning, they said.
The killing of Pranay, a Dalit Christian, who had married Amruthavarshini belonging to an upper caste at Miryalguda in Nalgonda district of Telangana on September 14 had sparked an outrage in the state.
Based on preliminary investigation, the police said Rao allegedly committed suicide by consuming insecticide. "He (Rao) had checked into a room in the lodge on Saturday night and the next morning when there was no response from him, the staff of the lodge broke open the room door and found him lying dead on the cot," police said. A suicide note purportedly written by him was found in the room in which he apologised to his wife and daughter, the police said.
A case of suicide has been registered and further investigations were on.
Maruti Rao, was among the seven accused, including two men acquitted in the murder of former Gujarat home minister Haren Pandya, were arrested in connection with the killing of the 23-year-old man.
Raos daughter had accused her father, along with her uncle, of being behind her husband's murder in what turned out to be a case of contract killing for Rs one crore, police had earlier said.
Rao, opposed to the marriage of his daughter, conspired with other accused to eliminate Kumar and also paid an advance of Rs 15 lakh, police said.
CCTV footage of the incident showed the man walking out of a hospital in Miryalguda with his pregnant wife (Rao's daughter) when the assailant attacked him with a machete from behind, killing him instantaneously.
Amritavarshini delivered a baby boy in January 2019. After her husband's murder, she had refused to return to her paternal home.
(With inputs from PTI.)
