According to police, the constable had married a man from a different caste last month, and her brother had issued threats to the couple

According to police, Nagamani’s family was vehemently opposed to the relationship and her brother, Parmesh, had warned the couple of dire consequences

A 28-year-old police constable in Telangana was hacked to death on Monday allegedly by her brother, who attacked her while she was on the phone with her husband, police said.

Police suspect the incident was a case of honour killing. There was also a property dispute between the woman and her brother, and this angle is also being looked into, police said.

The incident took place Monday morning near Ibrahimpatnam in Telangana’s Ranga Reddy district, on the outskirts of Hyderabad. The constable, S Nagamani, had married Srikant, who is from a different caste, on November 21 at Yadagirigutta. According to police, Nagamani’s family was vehemently opposed to the relationship and her brother, Parmesh, had warned the couple of dire consequences.

Parmesh and the family were called to the police station and they were given counselling to accept the marriage and not create any problems for the couple,’’ a police officer said. However, Srikant alleged that Parmesh issued threats right after the police counselling. Over the weekend, the couple, who live in Hyderabad, had gone to Srikant’s house in Ibrahimpatnam.

On Monday morning, Srikanth left for work, and later he called up Nagamani to check whether she had left, too. During that call, Nagamani told her husband that her brother was attacking her, after which the call got disconnected, police said.

“On her way to work, when she reached Raipole, Parmesh, who was driving a car, chased and hit her scooter from behind, causing her to fall on the road. He hacked her to death with an axe,’’ a police officer said. Nagamani was posted at Hayatnagar police station.

By the time Srikant reached the spot, Nagamani was dead. Parmesh surrendered to the police a few minutes after the murder.

According to police, Nagamani and her brother were also in a dispute over their ancestral property. “About 15 days ago, she married one Srikant of Rayapolu village. They had come here for a holiday from Hayatnagar, where they live. In the morning, she was going to duty, when a speeding car rammed her scooter from behind and the driver then hacked her to death with a machete. The suspicion is on her brother and the matter seems to be family related. Further investigation will proceed after her brother is detained,” Inspector Bollam Satyanarayana of Ibrahimpatnam police said.

DCP Maheshwaram told The Indian Express that police are still verifying the details. “The deceased woman’s parents are no more, and she only has siblings. The man is not able to provide any documentary evidence. We don’t know if they are legally married. Two versions are coming out. One is the honour-killing angle. One is a dispute for the property. We will have clarity very soon,” D Sunitha Reddy