Nalgonda Police have arrested four persons, including the niece of one of the victims, for the murder of four members of a family in Nalgonda, alleging that the crime was driven by personal grudge and the intention to steal cash and gold jewellery.

The arrested accused were identified as 28-year-old taxi driver from Gandipet Syed Aslam, his 28-year-old wife Tabassum, 26-year-old auto-rickshaw driver and car mechanic from Bandlaguda Mohammed Sohail, and 28-year-old Hemanth Kumar, who runs a jewellery shop in Saroornagar.

Nalgonda Superintendent of Police Sharat Chandra Pawar said that Aslam carried out the murders, while the others allegedly conspired in the offence and helped dispose of the stolen gold.

The case came to light on June 22 after residents of Telangana Colony in Nalgonda noticed a foul smell coming from a locked house and alerted police. Officers found the decomposed bodies of Mohammed Sultan, his wife Haseena, Sultan’s son Muzammil, 20, and daughter Afkura, 12, inside the house.

Nalgonda police registered a murder case and formed seven special teams under the supervision of DSP K. Sivaram Reddy.

Investigators analysed CCTV footage, collected forensic evidence and relied on technical surveillance before apprehending the accused near the Narkatpally flyover on Thursday.

According to the investigation, Aslam had borrowed ₹1 lakh from Haseena around a year ago and was struggling with mounting debts after adopting a lavish lifestyle. Police said he later sought another ₹1 lakh loan to buy a new car, but Haseena allegedly refused and demanded repayment of the earlier loan. Investigators also found that there had been long-standing family disputes, including a grudge linked to a criminal case involving Tabassum’s mother in 2013.

Police alleged that the accused initially planned to steal money from the house. Earlier this year, Aslam and Sohail allegedly broke into the house when the family was away but failed to find any valuables.

Investigators said the accused later learnt that Haseena had kept cash, gold ornaments and documents related to land and bank deposits at home. Police alleged that Aslam then decided to eliminate the family to steal the valuables. During the investigation, officers found that he had allegedly searched online for information on committing murder without leaving evidence, decomposition of bodies and ways to evade police before executing the crime.

According to police, Aslam drove from Hyderabad to Nalgonda on the night of June 19 carrying a knife. After allegedly waiting near the house for several hours, he entered the premises in the early hours of June 20 and attacked Haseena when she stepped outside. Sultan rushed to her rescue but was also fatally attacked. Muzammil allegedly tried to fight back with an iron rod, injuring Aslam, but was overpowered. Police said Aslam then killed 12-year-old Afkura, who had hidden under a bed, before fleeing with gold ornaments, cash and property documents.

Police alleged that after returning to Hyderabad, Aslam, with the help of Sohail, pledged the stolen gold with Hemanth Kumar, who allegedly melted the ornaments. Investigators said the accused received ₹5.3 lakh in return, including ₹4 lakh in cash and ₹1.3 lakh through a bank transfer.

Nalgonda police recovered ₹30.04 lakh in cash, a five-tola lump of melted gold, the Mahindra Marazzo car allegedly used in the crime, the knife believed to have been used in the murders, three mobile phones, blood-stained clothes, and land and bank documents. Further investigation is underway.