14-day custody for Tammineni Krishnaiah’s ‘killers’

KHAMMAM: The eight persons arrested in connection with the murder of TRS leader Tammineni Krishnaiah at Teldarpalli village on 15 August were produced in the court in Khammam on Friday. They were shifted to the district jail amid a high security after the court remand them in 14-day judicial custody.

According to the police, the accused during interrogation confessed to killing Krishnaiah. After committing the crime, they had gone to Rajahmundry and Visakhapatnam. They hatched a plan to eliminate the TRS leader after they had developed a grudge against him, according to the police. They got the opportunity to kill Krishnaiah on 15 August while he was travelling on his motorcycle.

Bopatla Srinivasa Rao alias Mental Sreenu (A1), Gajji Krishna (A2), Nukala Lingaiah (A3), Bandari Nageswara Rao (A4) and Kannekani Naveen (A5) waited in an auto at the centre of Teldarpalli while Jakkampudi Krishnaiah (A6) and Mallarapu Laxmaiah (A7) kept track of the movements of  Krishnaiah. When they saw Krishnaiah coming on his two-wheeler, they knocked down him off his vehicle and hacked him to death at dhobi ghat. According to the police, the first four accused struck the fatal blows on Krishnaiah.The accused number 8 is SK Ramjan Pasha, 45.

Three  bikes, one autorickshaw, 9 mobile phones, Rs 2,000 in cash were seized from them. Meanwhile, in a twist to the murder, the name of Tammineni Koteswara Rao, whom the police described as brain behind the murder, was not included in the FIR submitted to the court. According to police, a separate charge sheet will be filed against him later.