Nellore: Auto driver held for murdering woman

Nellore: Buchireddypalem and Muthukur police on Sunday identified the body of an elderly woman that was  found floating in an irrigation canal near Muthukuru on November 20 and arrested three persons on charges of murder of the woman.

The woman has been identified as Gunji Polamma, 63, of Pallapalli Vaddipalem in Buchireddypalem mandal. She used to give away small amounts as loan to those in need and would collect interest thereon. An auto rickshaw driver Dandala Sai of Putta Street in Buchireddypalem had borrowed Rs 5,000 from her a few months back but failed to repay the loan as per schedule.

Polamma repeatedly demanded Sai to pay back the money going to his house to make the demand. The woman had also threatened the auto rickshaw driver that she would approach the police. Sai, his father Ramanaiah and wife Swaroopa then planned to eliminate Polamma and steal her gold jewellery. Meanwhile Ramanaiah was admitted to Narayana Hospital at Nellore for some treatment and Sai invited Polamma to Nellore to repay the loan. On November 20 morning, the unsuspecting woman arrived at Narayana Hospital. 

Sai took her in in his auto rickshaw to the nearby Vaviletipadu village saying that he had to collect the money from a relative to be given to the woman. Ramanaiah and Swaroopa also joined them. The three then throttled Polamma's neck with a rope on reaching a secluded place near Vaviletipadu and dumped the body in the irrigation canal and took away the gold jewellery. 

Ramanaiah then managed to get back to his bed in the hospital at around 3 pm. Relatives of Polamma, however, identified her body after seeing the same in the newspapers. Buchireddypalem circle inspector P. Subba Rao assisted by Muthukur in-charge SI P. Viswanadha Reddy speeded up the probe with the help of call data from the mobile phone of the deceased. Police zeroed in on the accused and caught Sai and the other two, Ramanaiah and Swaroopa.