A chilling saga of deception and greed that terrorised Andhra Pradesh came to a formal close with a decisive judicial verdict. Vellanki Simhadri, widely feared across the underworld under the alias Cyanide Siva, was handed a life sentence for orchestrating the cold-blooded poisoning of ten individuals in Eluru and surrounding areas. Operating under the guise of an acquaintance offering blessed temple offerings and mystical remedies, Simhadri used lethal potassium cyanide to eliminate people who trusted him completely, wiping out entire family confidences, including those of his own sister and grandmother.
Real Estate Collapse And The Turn To Crime
Prior to February 2018, the 38-year-old Simhadri worked as an investor in the real estate sector. Driven by dreams of living like royalty with immense wealth and commanding social status, he channeled massive sums of borrowed capital and personal funds into land deals. However, unexpected market downturns wiped out his entire investment. Completely broke, heavily indebted, and facing relentless pressure from creditors, Simhadri saw his lavish ambitions crumble. Rather than rebuilding through legitimate work, he concocted a sinister strategy. He decided to exploit ordinary people by promising supernatural fortune while systematically robbing them of their valuables.
The First Strike: A 40 Lakh Loot
Simhadri executed his first lethal plot on 15 February 2018, selecting Vallabhaneni Umamaheswara Rao as his target. Simhadri persuaded Rao that consuming a specially blessed religious offering would dramatically reverse his fortunes and usher in great prosperity. Unknown to Rao, the offering was saturated with deadly cyanide. The moment Rao consumed it, he collapsed and died on the spot. Simhadri promptly fled the scene with 40 lakh rupees in cash and a silver ring. The immense financial haul, paired with the absence of immediate suspicion, dissolved his fear of law enforcement and set him on an aggressive killing spree.
Spree Of Poisonings Disguised As Blessings And Medicine
Emboldened by his initial success, Simhadri made poisoned offerings his regular modus operandi. Between February 2018 and October 2019, he carried out ten murders across Andhra Pradesh. He preyed exclusively on individuals within his existing social circle who harboured no doubts about his motives. To some, he presented the toxic substance as consecrated temple prasadam meant to attract good luck; to others, he claimed it was an esoteric traditional medicine possessing unique healing properties. As soon as the victims lost consciousness and succumbed to respiratory failure, Simhadri collected their gold ornaments, silver articles, and liquid cash before slipping away. His sole driver was funding his lavish daily expenditures and regaining his financial status.
The Tenth Murder And Crucial Surveillance Clues
While Simhadri managed to evade detection through nine consecutive killings, his tenth crime proved to be his downfall. On 17 October 2019, Kati Nagaraju was found unresponsive in Eluru under mysterious circumstances. Just the evening prior, Nagaraju had informed his wife that he was stepping out to visit a local bank, but he never returned. During the ensuing investigation, detectives scanned surveillance camera footage across the route and discovered clear recordings of Simhadri accompanying Nagaraju shortly before his collapse. That visual evidence made Simhadri the prime suspect, leading to his formal arrest in November 2019 after weeks of extensive tracking.
Luxury Assets, Stolen Jewellery And Cyanide Seizure
Under custodial questioning, Simhadri confessed to eliminating all ten victims, explaining that their murders were necessary to sustain his desire for a luxury lifestyle and clear accumulating expenses. The victim count comprised 7 men and 3 women, sparing neither his close friends nor his immediate relatives. Authorities discovered that Simhadri used the looted fortunes to purchase an existing residential house in Eluru and fund the construction of a second home. At the time of his apprehension, investigators seized a plastic container holding cyanide, numerous gold jewellery items, and 1,63,400 rupees in physical cash. He also identified Sheikh Aminullah Babu as his chemical supplier, leading to Babu's swift arrest.
Life Sentence And Rigorous Imprisonment
The legal proceedings against both men progressed through trial courts with prosecutors presenting forensic proof, toxicological findings, and the recovered chemical batches. In January 2026, the court delivered its final judgment. Vellanki Simhadri was sentenced to life imprisonment for the string of homicides and robberies. Meanwhile, his accomplice Sheikh Aminullah Babu, who procured and supplied the deadly poison, received 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.
