Days after a 32-year-old Dalit man was found murdered and his body dumped near a canal in Telangana’s Suryapet district, the police said Wednesday they have arrested six people, including his wife’s grandmother, father, and two brothers in connection with the case.
The Suryapet police said they have arrested Bhargavi’s Kotla grandmother Buchamma, 65, father Kotla Saidulu, 43, and brothers Kotla Naveen, 24, and Kotla Vamshi, 22, for the murder of Vadlakonda Krishna. The police also arrested their friends Bairu Mahesh, 30, and Nuvvula Sai Charan, 23, in the case.
Sunpreet Singh, Superintendent of Police, Suryapet, said they have been arrested under charges of murder and conspiracy, and those under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. “Saidulu and his sons planned and executed the murder to punish Krishna for marrying Bhargavi against their will,” said Singh.
The police said Naveen and Vamshi killed Krishna and then took the body to show it to Buchamma, before dumping it near the River Musi canal.
Singh said Krishna and Naveen were acquaintances, and Krishna frequently visited his house. During this time, Bhargavi fell in love with Krishna, but her family did not approve of their relationship. While Krishna belonged to the Scheduled Caste (SC) Mala community, Bhargavi is from the Backward Classes (BC) Goud community. The police said Krishna and Bhargavi got married on August 7, 2024, without the knowledge of her family, enraging them.
“Naveen, Vamshi, and Mahesh made three unsuccessful attempts to kill Krishna, but due to various reasons such as the presence of the public, etc they could not execute their plan. Krishna was unaware and had no such doubts about their intention to kill him,” said Singh.
The police said Krishna left home after a call from Mahesh Sunday evening, and that Naveen and Vamshi had asked him to call the deceased to an isolated location. Both of them then met and consumed liquor. On Mahesh’s tip-off, the two brothers ambushed Krishna by strangling him and smashing his head. They then stuffed his body into a car and drove it to Buchamma and Saidulu. Afterwards, they dumped the body near the canal.
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Krishna’s father David complained to police that Bhargavi’s family was behind the murder, and told them that marrying against her family’s wishes cost his son’s life.
