IT boss made multiple attempts to kill estranged wife and family, including poisoning in-laws, court told

By RYAN HOOPER, CRIME CORRESPONDENT and GEORGE ODLING, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Published: 14:16, 20 April 2026 | Updated: 14:18, 20 April 2026 An IT boss murdered his mother-in-law by spiking her food with arsenic as part of a long-running family dispute about land, a court heard. UK-based businessman Ajith Mupparapu made a series of bungling attempts to kill his father-in-law Hanumantha Rao in India following the break-up of his marriage to Dr Sirisha Muttavarapu, his wife of five years. Mupparapu, who was accused of physically abusing his estranged wife, was said to have a grievance with her father over some land in India. He is alleged to have then recruited his science teacher sister to buy arsenic, which he mixed into cooking ingredients and sent to his in-laws' family home. Paediatrician Dr Muttavarapu, her father Mr Rao and her mother Uma Maheshwari all fell seriously ill after eating home cooked food as they got ready for a family wedding in June 2023, initially thinking the water supply was to blame. But Mrs Maheshwari's condition worsened and she died in hospital the following month. Mupparapu, who lived in Maidenhead in Berkshire, is now fighting extradition to his native India, where he is wanted on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to murder. James Lewis KC, representing the Indian government, today said 46-year-old Mupparapu 'conspired and hatched a plan to eliminate' Mr Roa, with 'multiple attempts' on his life. Ajith Mupparapu, 46, allegedly hired contract killers to murder his ex-wife and her family, Westminster Magistrates Court (pictured) heard  The first two attempts, in early 2023, included trying to kill his father-in-law in a road accident, and then going on the dark web to recruit contract killers. However, these plans 'didn't get anywhere,' he told an extradition hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court. Mupparapu then got his sister Surekha Mupparapu, a chemistry teacher in India, to buy some arsenic, which he then used to lace ingredients such as chilli and salt. He paid a local courier 2,000 rupees - around £15, and said to be a day's wages - to deliver the poisoned groceries to his estranged wife's family home. Several members of the family fell ill the next day, with Mrs Maheshwari fatally so. Later that year, Mupparapu is alleged to have plotted to inject Mr Rao with a skeletal muscle relaxant called succinylcholine. But the conspirators were arrested before they could carry out the plan. The court also heard claims Mupparapu had a violent temper, and repeatedly subjected his wife to abuse. He also installed secret cameras in the family home when he moved out, and repeatedly sought to undermine her in public by commenting on her appearance, the court heard. And the hearing was told Mupparapu set fire to a piece of agricultural land belonging to his father-in-law. Mupparapu's legal team say there is not enough evidence to bring the case against their client. They say his extradition to India presents a 'real risk of suffering torture or mistreatment at the hands of the police and investigating authorities'. Ten people have already been charged in connection with the various plots, the court heard. The hearing is due to last all week. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.