Vizianagaram: Four held in teacher murder case

Vizianagaram: The Vizianagaram police on Sunday arrested four persons in connection with government teacher Yegireddy Krishna’s murder case. They arrested Maradana Mohan Rao, Reddi Ramu, Maradana Venkata Naidu and Maradana Ramaswamy of Uddavolu village of Therlam mandal.

Police investigation revealed that murder took place due to political supremacy in Uddavolu village.

Superintendent of Police Deepika M Patil briefed the media about the case details at a press conference at her office here on Sunday.

According to SP Deepika Patil, government teacher Yegireddi Krishna played a key role in politics in his native village Uddavolu as TDP sympathiser for the past two decades. With this, he had enmity with his opponent and YSRCP leader Maradana Venkat Naidu of the same village. Venkat Naidu gave several complaints about Krishna to the government regarding his teacher appointment. Venkat Naidu was defeated by his opponent Sunitha, who was supported by teacher Krishna indirectly, in the recent panchayat polls.

The bills of government contract works worth Rs 2 crore, completed by Venkat Naidu in the village, were pending as teacher Krishna’s followers indirectly raised objections. Though local leaders succeeded in joining Krishna and his followers in YSRCP recently, they failed to clear the political revelries between Venkat Naidu and Krishna. Therefore, Venkat Naidu allegedly decided to eliminate Krishna permanently to get the pending bills as well as to gain upper hand in Uddavolu politics. Subsequently, he hatched a plan along with his brother Mohan, Ramaswamy, Ganapathi and Reddy Ramu for Krishna Murthy’s murder.

As a part of their plan, Maradana Mohan Rao and Venkat Naidu hit the bike which Krishna Murthy was riding with a bolero van near Ommi-Kottapeta junction on Saturday morning. They dragged his vehicle for at least 100 meters and stopped their vehicle and attacked Krishna with iron rods as he was still alive. Later they fled from the spot.

Based on locals’ information, Rajam and Therlam police rushed to the spot and launched investigation.

Meanwhile, followers of Krisha Murthy reached the spot and staged rasta roko on Rajam-Bibbili main road. Tension prevailed as they stopped vehicles for more than two hours demanding police to hand over the accused to them.

Bobbili DSP Sridhar and Cheepurupalli DSP Chakravarthi rushed to the spot and controlled law and order situation in Uddavolu by arranging a police picket. On Sunday, Vizianagaram police arrested four accused in connection with the murder case and continuing their manhunt for Maradana Ganapathi.

Speaking to the media, SP Deepika said, “Accused Maradana Venkat Naidu decided to eliminate Krishna, as the bills of contract works done by the him were stalled due to the objections raised by the deceased and also to have an upper hand in the village politics. M Mohan Rao and Reddy Ramu hit Krishna’s bike, who was on his way to school, and hit him with iron rods.” Police have arrested four accused and searching for the remaining accused, she added. She said that law and order situation in Uddavolu is under control and a police picket was set up in Uddavolu to avoid any untoward incident.