The family members urged Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to direct Bhupalpally district police to probe the case and nail all those responsible for the ghastly act
Hyderabad:Family members of murdered activist Nagavelli Rajalinga Murthy, who had moved court accusing former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao of corruption in the Kaleshwaram project, on Thursday alleged that he was threatened and offered `10 lakh to withdraw the case days before his murder on Wednesday.
N. Sarala, Murthy’s wife, claimed that followers of BRS former Bhupalpally MLA Gandra Venkatramana Reddy, a close associate of Chandrashekar Rao’s son and party working president K.T. Rama Rao, were behind the attack. Murthy was stabbed to death by unidentified individuals on the outskirts of his village in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district on Wednesday.
"KTR's follower is Venkatramana Reddy, and his follower is Haribabu. Haribabu orchestrated the murder. Around 10 days ago, my husband was threatened and offered `10 lakh to withdraw the complaint against KCR," Sarala told mediapersons on Thursday.
Accusing BRS leaders of targeting her husband for exposing alleged corruption, she added, "Gandra got my husband killed in the middle of the road because he filed a case in the Kaleshwaram scam. They feared losing the case. I want justice. What will happen to my two children?"
Murthy’s daughter Nithya Nagavelli, a BPharmacy student, also suspected the involvement of Venkatramana Reddy and BRS leaders. "My father was fighting against the illegal activities of BRS leaders in the district, and they held a grudge against him," she said.
The family urged Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to intervene and ensure justice. "My father is gone, but we seek justice and protection from BRS leaders," Nithya added.
Sarala demanded the release of CCTV footage that allegedly contained video of the murder. The family initially refused to perform the last rites in protest but was eventually convinced by the police.
The bereaved family has appealed to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to ensure a thorough investigation by the Bhupalpally district police and take strict action against the accused.
A day after the murder, police detained several suspects based on CCTV footage and circumstantial evidence on Thursday.
Bhupalpally superintendent of police Kiran Kare stated, "We have identified some suspects based on CCTV footage and collected circumstantial evidence. Special teams have been deployed, and investigations are ongoing."
While the preliminary inquiry suggests a property dispute as the motive, SP Kare confirmed that all possible angles, including political involvement, were being examined. "Teams have collected samples from the crime scene and sent them for forensic analysis," he added.
Police have registered cases against Renukuntla Sanjeev, 30, Pingali Shemanth. 24, More Kumar, and Kothuri Komur for the murder of Murthy. Investigations were ongoing to determine the motive for the murder and involvement of other suspects.
