Hyderabad police have arrested four more Nepal nationals in the murder of Tanuja Ranjan, wife of retired IPS officer Vinay Ranjan Ray, taking the number of people apprehended in the case to five. Four other accused remain absconding, according to the Special Investigation Team investigating the crime.
The latest arrests were made at Nampally railway station on Monday. Police identified the accused as Dharma Tiruwa, also known as Kalpana and Bhimla Bishwakarma, 26; BK Ganesh, also known as Ganesh Bishwakarma and Dinesh Thapa, 31; Chandra Bahadur Tamang, also known as Ranjeet Thapa, Shanker Chandra Lama and Kancha, 44; and Ganesh Bahadur Shahi, 37. All four are natives of Nepal. Police seized ₹51,130 in cash from them.
The murder took place at the victim’s residence in Prashasan Nagar, Jubilee Hills, during the intervening night of May 7 and 8. Family members found Tanuja dead in her bedroom on May 8, with her limbs tied and a cloth stuffed in her mouth. Police allege that the offenders stole 225 grams of gold after the killing.
The 19-member SIT, comprising personnel from the Hyderabad Task Force and Jubilee Hills police, was formed on May 19. It is investigating the murder as well as other crimes allegedly involving offenders from Nepal. Under the supervision of DCP Vaibhav Gaikwad, police teams tracked the movements of the accused and their associates and travelled to Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Surat, Patna, Delhi, Lucknow and Uttarakhand during the investigation.
Police had earlier arrested key accused Sunil Bahadur Aauji, also known as Sunil Pariyar, and Dilip Bahadur Mijar, also known as Sonar, who allegedly received the stolen property. The two were arrested in Pune on May 22, and 26 grams of the stolen gold was recovered from them.
According to Hyderabad police commissioner VC Sajjanar, Kalpana came to Hyderabad in June 2025 and began working as a domestic helper at the victim’s house through her relative Jogi, earning ₹20,000 a month. Police allege that she stayed in contact with Bikas, a Nepal national based in Pune. Sajjanar said Bikas repeatedly sought information about the employer and household assets before planning the robbery with other accused.
The four accused arrested in the latest operation will be taken into police remand for further questioning, police said. The remaining accused have been identified as Bikas, Sujan, Dileep and Netra Shahi. The SIT is continuing efforts to locate and arrest them. Sajjanar has appealed to residents to verify workers’ antecedents before hiring them and said details on Nepal identity cards can be checked through Nepal’s citizen portal.
