NELLORE: In a ghastly incident, unidentified persons brutally murdered a couple at Ashoknagar near Padarupalli in Nellore City during the wee hours of Sunday.
Police have identified the couple as Vasireddy Krishna Rao, 54, and Suneetha, 50. They are the owners of a popular fast-food outlet Sri Ram Canteen at Current Office Centre in Nellore.
Investigators believe the assailants wanted to rob the house, going by their efforts to break open the locker containing gold. But they managed to open another locker and took away the entire cash. However, police are wondering about the reason for the terrible murders.
The assailants used a stick to smash the skull of the woman, who was sleeping on the bed. The husband is believed to have arrived just as the assailants attacked his wife.
The gang hit the man on the centre of the head at the entrance of the house before he could raise an alarm. Assailants also slit his throat several times to ensure his death.
Police suspect Suneetha might not have closed the main door of the house, expecting her husband, who usually returns home around midnight after closing the canteen. “The gang might have conducted a recce and knew about the movements of the couple," a police officer said.
The incident came to light the woman who delivers milk noticed the body of Krishna Rao lying in a pool of blood at the entrance to the house on Sunday morning.
According to police, the couple have two married sons Prem Chand and Sai Chand. While the elder son is working in the Postal Department at Visakhapatnam, the second is running a hotel at Pogathota in Nellore. He stays with his family elsewhere. The family has no financial issues, relatives said. It was learnt that Sunitha is active on social media on behalf of TD
Police have shifted the bodies to the Government General Hospital for post-mortem. Clues team and dog squad have been pressed into service. CCTV footage from cameras in the vicinity of the house are also being collected, Nellore Town in-charge DSP Abdul Subhani said. Vedayapalem circle inspector has registered a case and formed special teams to investigate the case from all angles.
Nellore district SP Ch. Vijaya Rao personally inspected the scene of offence. He elicited information from neighbours and relatives of the deceased. He advised police teams involved in investigation to use technology to crack the mystery behind the murders.
