“I am pregnant; the scan went well today. I am unable to make reels now, but will be back soon.” That was the last video posted by C Vaishnavi, 20, from Telangana’s Jagtial. The vivacious YouTuber was found dead at her home in Madhapur on Tuesday morning.
“She had stab wounds on her neck and chest, and there were signs that she was first strangled. Her husband, Hari Babu, is the prime accused. He is absconding,” Deputy Superintendent of Police (Metpalli) A Ramulu said.
According to investigators, Vaishnavi’s story was one of a rise on social media and a whirlwind romance with her neighbour, before jealousy, greed, and the pressure of constantly being on social media brought it to a brutal end.
Videos and reels of her life and relationship had helped her amass over 50,000 subscribers on YouTube. “She and her neighbour fell in love a few years ago. Although they both belong to the same community, his family opposed their relationship. Against the wishes of both families, they got married 10 months ago. Due to arguments with her in-laws, the couple moved to Vaishnavi’s home and were living in a separate room. She was three to four months pregnant,” said Korutla circle inspector Suresh Babu.
Vaishnavi’s father, C Durga Prasad, told police that, as she spent considerable time making videos and was famous online, it became a source of friction with her husband, even though he appeared in some pregnancy announcement videos. Hari Babu, police said, works at a local private hospital and has been untraceable since that morning. Investigators are questioning his family members, and several teams are searching for him.
Durga Prasad also alleged in his statement to the police that Hari Babu was demanding dowry and harassing Vaishnavi constantly. Based on his complaint, an FIR has been registered at the Korutla police station. As a dowry allegation is involved, Deputy SP A Ramulu has taken over as the investigating officer.
“This morning, Vaishnavi’s mother and aunt saw Hari Babu running out of the house and speeding away on his motorcycle. When they opened the door of the room where the couple lived, they found her in a pool of blood. They have alleged that Hari Babu and his family had been pressurising her for dowry. They were also unhappy about her being on YouTube and social media,” Ramulu said.
