Hours before the arrival of Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu here, a truck driver was found dead at the wheel of a stationary vehicle on the Kolkata-Chennai national highway near the Gannavaram airport.
The body was shifted to Government General Hospital after its identification, and collection of evidence from the spot.
Police prima facie believe Soma Srinivasa Rao was murdered.
Rao, 50, of Khammam district, who was tasked with driving the truck from Kovvuru in West Godavari to Vijayawada, police said.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (East zone) Vijaya Bhaskar said that the truck was parked on the spot on Saturday night.
The death was reported by passerbys who noticed Rao in a pool of blood in the truck cabin on Sunday morning. The body had knife wounds, said Mr. Bhaskar.
The co-driver, Subba Rao, was missing since the death and a manhunt was launched.
A case under section 174 of the CrPc was registered.