Hyderabad, May 8 : Retired IPS officer Vinay Ranjan Rayâ??s wife was found murdered at their residence in Hyderabadâ??s posh Jubilee Hills area on Friday, police said.

The body of Sunanda, 55, was found on the first floor of the familyâ??s three-storey house in the Prashasan Nagar colony.

Police suspect the involvement of the familyâ??s recently hired domestic help and her associates in the killing.

Kalpana, the domestic help from Nepal, allegedly smothered Sunanda to death with her associates and escaped with valuables and cash from the house.

Police believe that the murder took place around 2 a.m.

Special teams have been set up to nab the domestic help and her two associates, who are also reported to be from Nepal.

Ray, a former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer who retired as Director General of Police (DGP) in Andhra Pradesh, was out of the city when the incident occurred, and Sunanda was alone in their portion of the house while their children were in the upper floors.

The domestic help allegedly helped two associates gain entry into the house. They tied the victimâ??s hands and smothered her to death by stuffing a bundle of notes into her mouth.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner V. C. Sajjanar told the media that the victim died of suffocation.

A forensic team collected clues from the scene of the crime. Jubilee Hills police registered a case and took up an investigation.

Director General of Police C. V. Anand and other senior officials visited the crime scene.

Sajjanar said police were working on the clues. He told the media that the preliminary investigation shows that a Nepali gang was involved in this murder for gain.

The crime sent shockwaves in Prashasan Nagar, where many IPS and IAS officers have their houses.

The Police Commissioner appealed to citizens to remain cautious while hiring Nepalis as house helps. He said those who have already hired Nepalis should take all precautions.

He said Nepali gangs were found involved in similar crimes in cities like Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru.

Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender also visited the former IPS officer's house and expressed his condolences. He exuded confidence that the police would soon arrest the accused.

/IANS