Serial Murderer Questioned in 2020, Walked Free

Hyderabad: Ramati Satyanarayana, a suspected serial killer of 11 persons over a three-year period, had been detained and questioned by the police in a case of suspicious death in 2020 but managed to hoodwink them and walk free, the police said.

He then continued his killing spree, allegedly murdering 10 more persons despite coming under the police radar. Satyanarayana, a Nagarkurnool resident, was arrested on Tuesday last.

The 2020 incident pertained to the suspicious death of a four-member family, including an 11-year-old girl, with autopsy reports stating the cause of death as consumption of poison. While a few suspects were questioned, the case was closed as one of suicide.

Following his arrest on a complaint lodged by the family of his latest victim, Govula Venkatesh, on November 26, the police ascertained his role in the 2020 incident.

He was also found to have killed a father-daughter duo from Kodair a few months ago, the police said. He killed the daughter in Karnataka and the father in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh and disposed of their bodies in the respective states to evade police and erase evidence, the police said.