Butcher arrested in Vijayawada canal murder case; a tattoo helped police identify the victim

The West Zone police of the Vijayawada NTR Police Commissionerate on Tuesday (September 29, 2026) arrested Shafi, 45, a butcher in Bhavanipuram, in connection with the murder of Kalyani alias Durga, 29, of Mangalagiri, whose dismembered body was found in the VTPS cooling canal at Ibrahimpatnam on September 18. A tattoo on her hand had led the police to her name.

The police have also detained a helper at Shafi’s shop for allegedly assisting him in disposing of the body, police sources said.

According to preliminary information, Kalyani and Shafi knew each other and had been involved in a financial dispute for some time. On September 17, Shafi allegedly took Kalyani to his house, where an argument broke out between the two over money.

During the quarrel, Shafi allegedly attacked Kalyani with a knife, killing her. He then allegedly cut the body into several parts with his helper’s assistance and dumped the remains in the VTPS cooling canal, police sources said.

After the body parts were found, the case initially posed a challenge to the police because there was no immediate clue to the identity of the victim. During the investigation, the police noticed a tattoo on one of the body parts and circulated photographs of it on social media groups. They also checked missing-person cases in Andhra Pradesh and in the neighbouring Bhadradri-Kothagudem and Khammam districts of Telangana.

Kalyani’s family members noticed the tattoo and approached the police, who then identified her. A native of Chinna Tatinada village in West Godavari district, she had grown up in an NGO home at Gannavaram, married a man from Mangalagiri and had a son, and was living alone after separating from her husband, the police had said earlier.

The police then went through the call records of her mobile phone, traced Shafi and arrested him on Tuesday.

Further investigation is on.