4-member gang held, 2 murders cracked

Ongole: The Prakasam district police arrested a four-member gang on Tuesday at Narasaraopet for their involvement in a kidnap and murder. During probe, the accused confessed to their involvement in another murder. The police seized two cars, nine mobiles, cash and jewellery total worth Rs 20 lakh along with a dagger they used for the murder.

According to the Prakasam district SP Bhusarapu Satya Yesubabu, a jewellery merchant from Darsi, Oggu Adinarayana, was kidnapped on August 14 and found murdered two days later. His family members informed the police that they had handed over cash of Rs 5 lakh to a person as sought by Adinarayana on the day he was kidnapped. 

The kidnappers took away a gold chain, rings and debit cards after they killed Adinarayana and threw his mobile on a truck going towards Tamil Nadu to mislead police. On investigation, the police arrested Gopisetty Naga Malleswara Rao of Darsi, Gundala Rajasekhara Reddy of Mundlamuru, Mannam Koteswara Rao and Garnepudi Suresh of Addanki mandal for their involvement in the kidnap and murder.

According to the police, Naga Malleswara Rao is a car driver and runs a brothel with his live-in partner Nagamani and other women. Rajasekhara Reddy is an unemployed graduate and attending interviews in Hyderabad while Koteswara Rao is an MBA student and residing in Hyderabad due to a love affair.

Suresh is a diploma holder and joined Wipro recently. He said that Naga Malleswara Rao formed the gang to earn money through illegal methods. The police found that he was involved in a motorcycle theft in Markapuram and fake currency exchange case at Addanki in January 2018.  In May 2018, Naga Malleswara Rao and Rajasekhara Reddy killed a driver to steal a car. 

They hired a car at Markapuram and killed the driver Kesavulu and later burnt his body in Nadendla mandal. They left the car after a few kilometres as the vehicle met with an accident. On August 14, the gang members called Adinarayana to a room at Addanki and kidnapped him.

They demanded Rs 20 lakh but agreed to release him after receiving Rs 5 lakh.  But due to the fear that he would reveal their details, they killed him and burnt his body at Tripurantakam and threw the mobile of the victim on a lorry going to Tamil Nadu.

The SP lauded Darsi DSP K Nageswara Rao, Addanki CI M Hyma Rao and their team for solving the two murder cases and distributed cash rewards to the team members. He announced that the police would open rowdy-sheets against each of the gang members.