After years on the run, most wanted criminal arrested for murders in Andhra, Kerala

In a major breakthrough, Andhra Pradesh Police have arrested a most-wanted interstate criminal accused of targeting solitary women, murdering several of them, and fleeing with their jewellery across various South Indian states.

The accused, Viswanath, who also operated under the aliases Prashanth and Aziz, was involved in at least four murders in and around Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh alone, according to police. In each case, he allegedly targeted women who were alone, killed them, and escaped with their gold jewellery.

A native of the Karnataka-Kerala border region, Viswanath frequently changed identities to evade arrest, using forged documents, including an Aadhaar card altered with a different name, according to District Superintendent of Police (SP) Subbarayudu.

His arrest came during the investigation into the recent murder of a woman in Andhra Pradesh’s Konaseema district. Acting on leads, police tracked him down and took him into custody.

During the operation, police seized gold jewellery worth approximately Rs 20 lakh and an auto-rickshaw used in the crimes. A woman identified as Rajamma, who allegedly assisted the accused, was also arrested.

Further inquiry revealed that Viswanath had previously been convicted in a 2018 murder case in Kerala. However, he had escaped from police custody and had been on the run since then.

SP Subbarayudu said the Kerala Police had announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh for information leading to his arrest.

Further investigation is underway to ascertain if the accused was involved in more crimes across states.

- Ends