2 min readHyderabadUpdated: Apr 13, 2026 07:17 PM IST
Tirupati Police in Andhra Pradesh have arrested a 45-year-old man serial killer accused of murdering women who lived alone.
Police said they arrested P Vishwanath, who allegedly targeted single women or those living alone across several states — mainly Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. He is linked to at least 21 offences, including six murder cases, Special Investigation Team Additional SP (Crimes) A Srinivasulu said.
“Vishwanath had multiple false identities, including Prashanth, Ajit, Ajji and Abdul, and procured Aadhaar cards for his latest identity, concealing himself well,” he said.
According to Tirupati SP L Subbarayudu, Vishwanath first came under suspicion in a 2018 murder case.
“The same year, he was arrested in a robbery and murder case, but escaped from the custody of Kerala Police and was absconding since then. Kerala Police had announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh for information about his whereabouts. He fled to AP and drove an autorickshaw while committing robberies. He has a friend who helped him hide and also assisted him in planning his robberies and other crimes,” he said.
On January 11, police detained him in connection with the murder of a woman in Ramachandrapuram and produced him before a local court.
“We have linked him to 11 offences in AP, six in Kerala and four in Karnataka. We recovered 127 grams of stolen gold ornaments, Rs 20 lakh in cash, and the autorickshaw used in the crimes. His woman partner has also been arrested,” the SP said.
