AN INDIAN IT consultant has been accused of killing his mother-in-law with arsenic and hiring assassins to murder his ex-wife and her family.
UK-based Ajith Kumar Mupparapu was arrested in Maidenhead on 17 January by extradition unit officers carrying out an “accusation warrant”; from .
Mupparapu allegedly hatched plots to kill his now ex-wife Dr Sirisha Muttavarapu, who worked as an oncologist and lived with him in Berkshire.
She filed for after five years of in 2022.
After the divorce, Mupparapu went to “extensive lengths”; to murder the family, it has been alleged.
Mupparapu is said to have hired nine contract killers from his home to try and kill his Ms Muttavarapu and her extended family in Hyderabad between January and August 2023.
He is also accused of poisoning his former mother-in-law, Uma Maheshwari, 60, with arsenic.
He allegedly sent a food delivery agent with arsenic-laden ingredients to her house in March 2023.
She died on 5 July 2023, nine days after consuming the spices.
Mupparapu appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court via videolink from HMP Wandsworth and was remanded in custody until 7 August.
District Judge Michael Snow said Mupparapu should remain behind bars adding: “The defendant is too big of a risk if he is allowed back into the community until his next extradition hearing.”;
His final extradition hearing is set to take place on November 7.
Mupparapu is also said to have attempted to set up a car accident to kill his father-in-law, Hanumantha Rao.
Representing the Indian government, Kiran Gohal earlier said: “His surrender is sought by India, having been accused of murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to murder.
“Mr Mupparapu was married to Dr Sirisha Muttavarapu on 24 August 2018 in India.
“There was a breakdown in the relationship, the couple then separated, and then later divorced.”;
“He hired two individuals and conspired to kill his wife’s father in a road traffic collision.
“His sister purchased the arsenic, which he then mixed with cooking ingredients and sent to his wife’s parents’ address.
“Her mother died, and one of the causes was arsenic poisoning.”;
Mupparapu also planned to inject the family with a skeletal muscle relaxant known as Succinylcholine before arrests were made, it was claimed
He was last working as an IT consultant and has lived in the UK for 18 years, the court heard.
He was remanded in custody until 7 August.
The arrest warrant states Mupparapu has been “charged in India with a heinous crime of Murder and Attempting to murder with Arsenic poisoning and Succinycholine injection on his estranged wife Dr Sirisha Muttavarapu and her family”;.
It added: “Mr Ajith Mupparapu had executed multiple plans to kill Sirisha’s family members from January 2023 to August 2023, until six of the accused were arrested in August 2023 – He hired people to cause a road traffic accident to Sirisha’s father, hired contract killers; ARSENIC Poisoning; Succinylcholine injections.”;
