Twelve persons were arrested in connection with a murder a couple of days ago at a parking lot near the Tirupati railway station.
According to Tirupati East DSP M. Muni Ramaiah, the accused have been identified as C. Sarvana, P. Purnachandra, M. Gopi, K. Munichandra, Y. Raju, D. Gopi, T. Devarajulu, B. Durga Rao, B. Bujji Babu, G. Vasu, S. Srinivasulu and P. Dilli Babu, all of them working as either taxi drivers or cleaners at the Sri Lakshmi Srinivasa Taxi Stand.
Mr. Ramaiah told the media here on Monday that the situation had escalated when the deceased, P. Mohan, a taxi operator, had assaulted a boy, who was working as a vendor in the area.
This along with Mohan’s alleged regular harassment of his fellow drivers and cleaners in a drunken state, prompted several of them to settle the issues amicably after a discussion. However, it did not go as planned as altercations turned into a fist fight, ultimately leading to the killing of Mohan in the melee. His friend Jaaleshwar, who was with Mohan, had escaped after a fight broke out and sustained some injuries. The duo had rowdy sheets against them and Mohan was involved in a murder case and had recently come out on bail.
More suspects
Meanwhile, police are suspecting the involvement of several others in the murder and have expanded their search for suspects.