Not accident: Jagan Reddy's party leader named key accused in Dalit driver's murder

In a major breakthrough in the 2022 murder of Dalit driver Veedhi Subrahmanyam, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in Andhra Pradesh has directly implicated YSR Congress Party leader Anantha Babu and his wife, naming them as key accused in the case.

In its supplementary charge sheet, the SIT has placed the YSRCP MLC at the centre of what investigators describe as a meticulously reconstructed chain of evidence, establishing charges of murder, criminal conspiracy, and destruction of evidence. His wife, Anantha Lakshmi Durga, has been named as Accused No 2.

Veedhi Subrahmanyam, a 34-year-old driver employed by the MLC, was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Kakinada in May 2022. The case triggered outrage after Anantha Babu personally transported the body to the victim’s parents’ residence around 2 am in his own car, claiming it was a road accident. The family, however, noticed severe injuries inconsistent with a crash and refused to accept the body, sparking protests and allegations of a caste-motivated killing.

The SIT probe -- ordered after repeated pleas by the victim’s parents and court approval for reinvestigation -- has now rejected the accident claim, terming it deliberately misleading. Investigators reconstructed the sequence of events using forensic analysis, CCTV footage, digital evidence and witness statements.

According to the charge sheet, Subrahmanyam was picked up by Anantha Babu on the night of May 19, 2022. Within hours, his body was allegedly dumped at his residence along with what the SIT describes as a fabricated accident narrative.

Footage collected from multiple locations across Kakinada showed both Anantha Babu and his wife near a guest house -- where the murder is alleged to have taken place -- and along an adjacent road corridor during the crucial period. Investigators said the MLC’s vehicle made suspicious halts for over an hour on a dark stretch near a guest house.

CCTV footage later captured Subrahmanyam staggering and collapsing, with the accused remaining at the scene before transporting the body.

Experts authenticated the footage as continuous and untampered, identifying the accused through scientific facial and morphological comparison, the SIT said.

Call record details also revealed coordinated movement by the couple during the relevant time, with investigators stating that the digital trail, CCTV evidence and witness accounts together establish common intention and joint action.

Medical evidence has further contradicted the accident theory. The post-mortem recorded 31 external injuries, including multiple lacerations and contusions caused by hard and blunt objects. Forensic examination of sand samples reportedly matched material from the crime scene with that found on the victim’s body.

The supplementary charge sheet also points to alleged lapses in the initial investigation conducted during the previous regime. After the change in government, the victim’s parents sought reinvestigation, leading to the formation of the SIT and fresh forensic examination. The Rajahmundry Atrocity Court subsequently permitted further investigation, resulting in the present findings.

Anantha Babu, a leader of the Jagan Mohan Reddy's YSRCP, was earlier arrested in the case and is currently out on bail. His wife, who has been named as Accused No 2, is reportedly absconding and has moved the High Court seeking anticipatory bail, even as police seek her custodial interrogation.

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