# Cyanide In Holy Offerings Claimed 10 Lives, Andhra Serial Killer Vellanki Simhadri Sentenced To Life Imprisonment

> A court in Andhra Pradesh handed a life sentence to serial killer Vellanki Simhadri for poisoning ten people with cyanide-laced offerings to clear debts, while his chemical supplier received 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Crime · **Published:** 2026-09-19 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/crime/prasada-men-jahara-milakara-li-thi-10-logon-ki-jana-eluru-ke-siriyala-kilara-vellanki-simhadri-ko-umrakaida-33542 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Vellanki Simhadri, Cyanide Siva, Eluru crime, serial killer, Andhra Pradesh police, cyanide murders, life sentence

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.

## What this means for you
This judgment serves as a stark reminder against blind faith and unverified trust in acquaintances offering quick financial miracles.

- **Across India:** Citizens across the country should exercise extreme caution and decline any unverified edible items or concoctions presented under religious or medicinal pretences. Individuals must rely on standard banking and legal recourses rather than falling prey to miraculous fortune-telling schemes.
- **In Eluru and Andhra Pradesh:** Local communities will likely experience heightened vigilance regarding personal safety and the circulation of dangerous chemicals. Regional authorities face increased public demand to enforce stringent licensing and tracking on the sale of lethal compounds like cyanide.
- **Financial Prudence:** Individuals recovering from business losses must seek legitimate financial counselling rather than desperate wealth-recovery shortcuts. High-value transactions involving cash and jewellery should strictly follow transparent institutional channels.
- **Judicial Deterrent:** The imposition of life imprisonment reinforces public faith in the criminal justice system against brutal repeat offenders. Strict sentencing ensures that those abetting heinous crimes through illegal chemical supplies are held legally accountable.

## Why this happened
The fatal crime spree was triggered by catastrophic financial losses in the property sector and an unchecked obsession with sustaining an opulent lifestyle.

- **Financial Ruin And Debt:** Simhadri suffered massive capital destruction in real estate ventures prior to 2018, leaving him destitute and heavily burdened with debt. Desperate to repay mounting liabilities and regain his lost status, he turned to calculated violent crime.
- **Exploitation Of Faith And Trust:** The perpetrator deliberately targeted familiar acquaintances who were susceptible to religious rituals and fortune-changing promises. Victims unsuspectingly consumed cyanide-laced offerings because they harboured deep personal trust in him.
- **Illicit Chemical Access:** The execution of multiple murders was enabled by the ready availability of industrial poison supplied by Sheikh Aminullah Babu. Loose monitoring over lethal chemical distribution allowed Simhadri to acquire cyanide repeatedly without raising red flags.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. Who is Vellanki Simhadri and what was his alias?
Vellanki Simhadri is a serial killer from Eluru, Andhra Pradesh, who became notorious under the moniker 'Cyanide Siva'.

### 2. How many people did Simhadri kill and who were among the victims?
Simhadri murdered 10 people, including 7 men and 3 women, and did not spare even his own grandmother and sister.

### 3. What method did Simhadri use to poison his victims?
He deceived victims by offering them cyanide-laced substances under the pretext of holy temple offerings or secret traditional medicine to bring good luck.

### 4. How was Simhadri eventually caught by the police?
Following the murder of Kati Nagaraju in October 2019, CCTV footage showed Simhadri with the victim, leading to his arrest in November 2019.

### 5. What punishment did the court hand down to Simhadri and his accomplice?
In January 2026, the court sentenced Simhadri to life imprisonment, while his cyanide supplier Sheikh Aminullah Babu received 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.

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