Actor Pratyusha was raped and killed, alleges mother

Sarojini said it was the last time she saw her daughter in good health. She has alleged big conspiracy in covering up the crime committed against her daughter as family members of some big Telugu political parties were involved in her death.

Sarojini said she did not suspect any foul play in the death of her daughter at the time of the funeral. “I would not have cremated my daughter if I had known so many people were involved in her death,” she said.

Sarojini said she was not against Pratyusha’s relationship with Siddharth. She had approved of their relationship but had advised them to focus on their careers first before getting married.

In 2002, a major controversy broke out after B Muniswamy, a forensic expert with the Gandhi Hospital, who examined Pratyusha’s body, suspected the actor’s death was a murder. According to earlier reports, his report suggested her death was caused from “pressure over the neck, asphyxia due to manual strangulation.” And he also alleged that he found traces of semen on her body suggesting sexual assault.

His autopsy report created a media storm even as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the investigation from the CID based on the directions of the Andhra Pradesh High Court. The probe agency concluded that Pratyusha’s death was a case of suicide, ruling out the findings of Muniswamy.

It, however, found Siddharth guilty of abetting Pratyusha’s suicide. He was convicted by the court on the allegations against him and was sentenced to five years in prison along with a fine of Rs 6,000.