A day before the murder, one of the juveniles went home and brought a red hoodie. (Image generated using AI)The Telangana police have arrested two students in connection with the murder of their school principal in the state’s Nalgonda district. The principal was found stabbed to death at her residence on August 11.The police zeroed in on the 16-year-old students after sifting through a pool of 80 people, including history-sheeters. It was a word uttered by the deceased over the phone that shifted the focus to her school, Nalgonda Superintendent of Police Sharat Chandra Pawar said at a press conference held on Wednesday.The teacher, who was on the phone with her aunt, had uttered the word “babu”, commonly used to refer to boys and young men in Telangana. Soon after the conversation, her phone was switched off. “We realised that she used to call the students of her school ‘babu’. The investigation then took a detour to the school and its students,” Pawar said.After examining several witnesses, the police narrowed down on two boys who were “leading a lavish life”. They were hostellers and had a run-in with the teacher, who had scolded them in front of their parents for having “bad habits and a spending problem”. The two then plotted her murder because they resented the rebuke and thought the principal would have “a huge stash of cash in her home”.Also Read | Hyderabad: B.Tech student stabbed to death while watching IPL match outside Indiranagar homeA day before the murder, one of the juveniles went home and brought a red hoodie. “They went on to buy knives, masks and gloves,” the SP said. The two broke into the school principal’s house, which they were familiar with because of its proximity to the school. “The juveniles had also visited the surrounding areas of the residence for one week before the murder, making their offence premeditated.”After they broke into the house, one of them kept an eye out for outsiders, while the other entered from the rear door. “Investigation has revealed that they entered the house through an open kitchen door and launched a brutal knife attack on the victim,” a police statement read. Subsequently, they robbed Rs 2.5 lakh in cash from the bedroom. “They jumped over the rear side wall of the house and fled through a deserted area,” the police said.The juveniles discarded the knife, gloves, masks and a cell phone in the bushes, police said. “They also discarded the hoodie and changed into fresh clothes,” the police said. The police have recovered Rs 1.54 lakh in cash, the deceased’s iPhone and two other cell phones from the accused students.Story continues below this adThe teacher, 50, was married and had a son who is pursuing B.Tech. Her husband goes to work four days a week in Hyderabad. The incident happened when he was away at work.“She was known to be close to her students as a friend and guide. This is an unfortunate incident where one of the students held a grudge against her and convinced his friend to commit murder,” the SP said.Nikhila Henry is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Hyderabad. With a career spanning 17 years, she has established herself as an authoritative voice on South Indian affairs, specialising in the complex intersections of politics, education, and social justice. Experience & Career: Nikhila commenced her journalism career in 2007 as an education correspondent for The Times of India in Hyderabad,where she gained recognition for her coverage of student politics. Her professional trajectory includes a four-year tenure at The Hindu, where she focused on minority affairs and social welfare. In 2019, she took on a leadership role as the South Bureau Chief for The Quint, where she directed regional coverage across all five South Indian states. Her expansive career also includes a tenure at the BBC in New Delhi and contributions to prestigious international outlets such as The Sunday Times (London) and HuffPost India. Expertise & Focus Areas Nikhila’s reportage is marked by a deep-seated understanding of grassroots movements and institutional policy. Her core focus areas include: Regional Politics: Comprehensive analysis of the socio-political dynamics across South India. Education & Student Movements: Chronicling the evolution of Indian academics and the rise of youth activism. Minority Affairs: Rigorous reporting on the welfare, rights, and challenges facing marginalized communities. National Beat: Elevating regional stories to national prominence through investigative and on-ground reporting. Authoritativeness & Trust A respected figure in Indian media, Nikhila is not only a seasoned reporter but also an accomplished author and editor. She authored the critically acclaimed book The Ferment: Youth Unrest in India and edited Caste is Not a Rumour, a collection of writings by Rohith Vemula. Her dual background in daily news reporting and long-form authorship allows her to provide readers with a nuanced, historically-informed perspective on contemporary Indian society. Find all stories by Nikhila Henry here. ... Read More Tags:alleged murdertelangana