Six arrested in Palnadu dual murder case, hunt on for ex-YSRCP MLA

Palnadu district Superintendent of Police Kanchi Srinivasa Rao addressing a press conference at Narasaraopet on Thursday. | Photo Credit: By arrangement

Superintendent of Police Kanchi Srinivasa Rao announced the arrest of six individuals in connection with the brutal double murder case that rocked Gundlapadu village in Palnadu district on Thursday. The arrested individuals are Thota Venkataramaiah, 41; Javisetty Srinivasa Rao alias Srinu alias Bobbili, 59; Thota Guruvaiah, 50; D. Nagaraju, 30, Thota Venkateswarlu, 43; and Gellipogu Vikram, 40, and have been remanded to judicial custody.

The police have also named former YSRCP MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy, his brother Pinnelli Venkatarami Reddy, and Pinnelli Venkat Reddy, the Sarpanch of Kandlakunta village, as accused in the case. All three are still absconding. Special teams have been deployed to trace and apprehend them.

Addressing the media at the district police headquarters in Narasaraopet, the SP said: “The murders of Javisetty Venkateswarlu, 62, and his brother Javisetty Koteshwar Rao, 52, occurred on the evening of May 24, when they were returning after attending a wedding. The murders were a result of long-standing political rivalry between two factions in the village. One faction was led by the deceased Venkateswarlu and the other by Thota Venkataramaiah. The rivalry, rooted in local political dominance and ambitions, intensified ahead of the upcoming panchayat elections as Venkateswarlu gained popularity and emerged as a strong political figure in the village.”

According to a complaint filed by Thota Anjaneyulu, a relative of the victims, the accused deliberately rammed their vehicle into the victims’ motorcycle and then pelted them with stones, resulting in their deaths. A case was registered at the Veldurthi police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Following the incident, SP Kanchi Srinivasa Rao visited the crime scene and formed five special police teams under the supervision of Gurazala DSP B.L.N. Jagadish.

The investigations were led by Macherla Rural CI Sheikh Nafees Basha, who used technical support, witness statements, and physical evidence from the crime scene. On June 4, the six accused were apprehended in the presence of mediators and brought to the Veldurthi police station.

Published - June 05, 2025 09:11 pm IST