Police said that a Tamil Nadu man was reportedly found dead near a hill shrine in Kuppam, while his wife and child who accompanied him on the trip to the temple, have gone missing.
According to the police, Ramesh (24), a resident of Soolagiri village in Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu, reportedly arrived at Boyanapalle village in Shantipuram mandal of Chittoor district on July 13 night with his wife, Hasini (17), and their one-year-old child. Boyanapalle is the native place of Hasini. The family had allegedly planned a trip to Mallappa Konda hill shrine, a popular Shiva temple located in a forested stretch at the outskirts of Kuppam, near the Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border.
The family left for the shrine on July 14 (Tuesday), the police said. Somewhere along the winding ghat road, they were allegedly intercepted by four youths. The police suspect that the group was led by a 22-year-old man who is believed to have been in a relationship with Hasini. They suspect that Ramesh was forcibly dragged away from the roadside into the forest, where he was allegedly murdered. The assailants then disappeared from the scene. Hasini and the couple’s child also went missing.
Meanwhile, the incident came to light when the family failed to return home on Tuesday night. Relatives launched a search and alerted the Kuppam police. On Wednesday morning, devotees on their way to the hill temple found a body lying off the ghat road and informed authorities. The deceased was later identified as Ramesh, police said
Deputy Superintendent of Police (Kuppam) B. Parthasarathi rushed to the spot along with a team, while forensic experts from Tirupati collected evidence from the crime scene. The police later examined CCTV footage from the foothills, which reportedly showed Hasini leaving the area on a motorcycle with a couple of youths shortly after the incident.
The Deputy SP told The Hindu that some suspects were detained for questioning. A case has been registered, and the body was shifted to the government hospital in Kuppam for a post-mortem.
Published - July 15, 2026 06:57 pm IST