Singer Swarnalatha’s Son Alleges She Was Murdered for Gold Jewelry

Anil Raju, son of veteran playback singer Swarnalatha, has alleged that his mother was murdered for her gold jewelry. In a recent interview with ‘Suman TV,’ he shared various details about her life and tragic demise.

Swarnalatha was a well-known singer in the early years of Telugu cinema, having sung alongside legends like Ghantasala, Madhavapeddi Satyam, Pithapuram Nageswara Rao, Jikki, P. Leela, and A.P. Komala. She was particularly known for lending her voice to comedian-actress Girija.

Speaking about his mother’s background, Anil Raju stated, “My mother came from a wealthy family. My grandfather owned over 200 acres of land. Because of this, my mother always adorned herself with a lot of gold jewelry. Her real name was ‘Mahalakshmi,’ but after noticing her love for gold, actor Kasturi Siva Rao named her ‘Swarnalatha.’ That name made her famous.”

Recounting the tragic incident, he revealed, “We had a large bungalow on Bhog Road in Madras, which we recently sold for ₹100 crore. We also owned three luxury cars. My mother used to spend six months in the U.S. and six months in India. On one such return trip, she and I were traveling by car from Madras to Hyderabad when we were attacked at around 1 AM. The assailants injured us and stole her jewelry. My mother was hospitalized for five days, but sadly, she passed away on her birthday.”