Nalgonda: Suryapet police arrested five alleged “supari” gang members late Thursday night and are currently interrogating them.
Officers recovered sticks and iron rods from the car used by the suspects. Investigators believe the gang had plotted to abduct or kill a man over a land dispute. They conducted surveillance at a tractor showroom near the new bus stand in Suryapet, where their purported target, K. Venkateshwarlu of Raghavapuram in Mothe mandal, works.
According to police, the suspects visited the showroom on Thursday and Friday, enquiring about Venkateshwarlu with showroom staff. While they waited in their car, other employees alerted Venkateshwarlu, who called friends to intervene and prevented the vehicle from leaving. Because the suspects wore face masks, bystanders became suspicious and alerted authorities.
When officers arrived, they took all five into custody. Venkateshwarlu told police he has an ongoing land dispute with the owner of a crusher mill. After officers removed the masks, Venkateshwarlu identified two of the detainees as employees of that mill.
In the past three years, several “supari” killings in Suryapet have created widespread alarm. In February 2021, realtor Gurram Shashidhar Reddy was murdered at Kudakuda in what police say was a cinematic plot: assailants attached a GPS tracker to his motorcycle to locate him. In April 2024, a “supari” gang brutally killed Congress leader Vadde Yellaiah, shocking the state. In October 2022, a youth named Sainath was found dead in the Musi River near Shoonyam Pahad, Palakaveedu mandal, after being targeted by a similar gang. And in October 2021, six assailants killed Bhukya Naik in Suryapet. There was also an attempted attack on Bude Kantha Rao, secretary of a private engineering college.
Superintendent of police K. Narsimha told the Deccan Chronicle that border surveillance has been intensified to prevent anti-social elements from entering the district. “We will take tough action against anyone who tries to disturb the peace of Suryapet,” he warned.
