Inside the Telangana family murders: A property dispute, an estranged daughter and an alleged ‘supari’ killing

4 min readHyderabadJun 25, 2026 06:11 PM IST

The police said the killers allegedly ransacked the house, apparently searching for the gold ornaments, but found none. (File photo)

A peaceful, hardworking family with no known feuds or enemies — that’s how relatives describe small-time businessman Mohammed Sultan’s family. So how Sultan, his wife and their two children ended up stabbed to death and wrapped in blankets inside their home in Telangana Colony in Nalgonda district baffled police for three days.

The bodies of Sultan, 45, wife Haseena, 40, son Muzammil, 20, and daughter Afsara, 16, were found in a highly decomposed state on Monday, with police estimating they were murdered on June 20. As investigators dug deeper, they say they uncovered a simmering property dispute, leading to the arrest of Haseena’s daughter from her first marriage, her husband and at least four alleged “supari” killers.

“The savagery with which they had been stabbed indicated that this was an act of revenge stemming from a deeply personal enmity. But we were unable to find any clues about any dispute Sultan or Haseena had with anyone,” said an official at Nalgonda 1 Town Police Station, where a case was registered.

That changed when investigators dug deeper into the family’s background, eventually arresting the estranged daughter, her husband and four alleged hired killers.

According to police, Sultan, who sold handbags at Prakasam Bazaar in Nalgonda town, married Haseena after his first wife died several years ago. Muzammil and Afsara were from his first marriage. Sultan was Haseena’s third husband after her two previous marriages ended in divorce.

Police said Bushra and her husband were angry that Haseena retained a 150-square-yard plot and gold ornaments worth around Rs 50 lakh, given to her by her first husband, and refused to transfer them to Bushra. Relations between mother and daughter had allegedly deteriorated after Bushra married an autorickshaw driver against Haseena’s wishes, and Bushra believed her mother would eventually leave the property to her stepchildren, Muzammil and Afsara.

During questioning, police found that Bushra and her husband had allegedly broken into the house two months earlier to steal Haseena’s gold ornaments but found none.

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Police allege that the couple then hired a Hyderabad-based “supari” gang of history-sheeters, instructing them to kill the family as brutally as possible. Using mobile phone data and location records, investigators found that Bushra’s husband had visited Sultan’s home a day before the murders and shared information about when all four family members would be at home.

The gang allegedly conducted a recce a few days before the murders, studying the movements of Sultan; Haseena, who taught at a private school; Muzammil, an AC technician; and Afsara, a student at the same school.

Bushra, her husband and at least four alleged hired killers are in Nalgonda Police custody and are being interrogated to establish the sequence of events.

According to police, the four assailants knocked on Sultan’s door in the early hours of Saturday. When Haseena opened it, they barged in and stabbed her seven times in the chest and abdomen.

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Muzammil, who woke up during the attack, put up a fight. He was found with his throat slit and 16 to 20 stab wounds across his body. Sultan had seven stab wounds to his chest and abdomen.

Police said Afsara tried to hide under her bed. She was allegedly dragged out by her hair and stabbed to death while half her body was still under the bed.

The killers allegedly then ransacked the house, apparently searching for the gold ornaments, but found none. They wrapped the four bodies in blankets, locked the house and gate from outside, and fled.

On Monday, a neighbour alerted the 1 Town Police Station after noticing a foul smell from the house. Police arrived within 15 minutes and made the gruesome discovery.

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd

Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance.

Expertise and Experience

Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues:

High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules.

Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes.

Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak.

Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More

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