New Delhi: In a shocking case that shook Hyderabad, TV actress Kuruganti Apsara was brutally murdered by a temple priest, Ayagari Sai Krishna, who was considered a trusted family acquaintance.
The incident unfolded on June 3, 2023, when Apsara, who was planning to travel to Coimbatore with her friends, disappeared after leaving home late at night.
Apsara had asked Sai Krishna, a priest at the Bangaru Miyasamma temple in Saroornagar, to drop her off at the bus stop.
The priest, known to the family and regarded as a brother figure by Apsara’s mother, agreed to help. According to the mother, Aruna, she had asked her daughter to call once she boarded the bus — but that call never came.
The next morning, Apsara’s phone remained switched off. When Aruna confronted Sai Krishna, he claimed to have dropped Apsara with friends in Shamshabad and returned home. He also added that she had changed her travel plans and left in a car instead of a bus — a detail that raised suspicions.
Two days later, on June 5, Aruna filed a missing complaint with the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport police station. Since the priest was the last person seen with Apsara, the investigation began with him. His initial statement claimed innocence and insisted he had only dropped her off.
However, when police contacted Apsara’s friends, they confirmed she had never arrived. CCTV footage from the 21-kilometre route between Saroornagar and Shamshabad revealed that the priest never dropped her anywhere. Under pressure, Sai Krishna was arrested and later confessed to the murder.
In a disturbing statement, the priest admitted that he had planned the killing. He claimed Apsara dozed off during the ride and hit her head on the dashboard. When she regained consciousness and resisted, he crushed her face with a heavy stone kept in the car.
He then disposed of her body in a septic tank near a government office, where it was discovered days later in a decomposed state.
The brutal nature of the crime and the betrayal by someone the family trusted have left the community shaken. Investigations are ongoing into the motive, including possible links to a conspiracy or an extramarital affair.
