Srikalahasti police cracks year-old murder case linked to 'treasure hunt'

TIRUPATI: Six persons have been arrested in connection with the murder of a retired lineman, in a case linked to a "treasure hunt" near Kotha Kandriga Cross on the Srikalahasti-Pichatur road in Tirupati district.

The arrested were P Vijaya Kumar (35), the key accused, and his accomplices T Chinna Puttayya (35), P Mahesh (25), K Lokesh (21), P Durga Prasad (21) and T Challaiah (23), all natives of Varadaiahpalem mandal.

Srikalahasti DSP Bhima Rao said the Varadaiahpalem police got a complaint from B Anjaneyulu that his brother Venkateswarlu (63), a retired electrical lineman, was missing since July 26, 2022.

"Venkateswarlu had an illicit affair with Vijaya Kumar's mother, who died of Covid-19 last year. Following the mother's death, Vijaya plotted to kill Venkateswarlu, who was unmarried and had no heirs and grab his property. Venkateswarlu had a weakness for hidden treasures. Vijaya lured him to a forest and killed him with the help of his friends," the DSP told Deccan Chronicle.

According to police, Vijaya took Venkateswarlu to a remote place inside Bonupalli forests in Thottambedu mandal around midnight on July 26 last year on the pretext of excavating hidden treasures. Once inside the forest,

Vijaya and his friends strangled Venkateswarlu, chopped his body, and buried the parts in different locations.

"The accused returned to the forest on occasions, recovered some of the body parts and disposed of these in the Telugu Ganga canal, ensuring that the police would never get any proof. However, Vijaya's greed eventually led to his arrest when the police, keeping a close eye on the suspects, found that he was transferring the deceased's pension fund to his own account. Scientific examination of the evidence helped the police to zero in on the accused," DSP Rao said.