Andhra Pradesh

Ex-MLA's murder: four surrender in court

Staff Reporter

MLA's son has named them in his complaint

TADIPATRI: Four suspects named by TDP leader K. Suryapratap Reddy's son K. Venkatarami Reddy in his complaint lodged with the police on his father's murder on April 18 surrendered in the Judicial First Class Magistrate's Court here on Friday.

The surrendered persons were two sons B. Narayana Reddy, Chairman of the Agriculture Market Committee of Tadipatri — B. Pratap Reddy and B. Nageshwar Reddy — and their followers — K. Maheshwar Reddy and S. Lokeshwar Reddy.

The four appeared in the court in the morning with the help of their counsel C.O. Ravi. Junior Civil Judge P. Venugopala Rao immediately directed the police to tell the court whether the four were accused in the case or not by 3.30 p.m. as their names did not figure in the first information report. When the court was convened in the evening Assistant Public Prosecutor C. Ramakanth Reddy and Tadipatri Urban CI Sambasiva Rao failed to furnish information sought by the judge stating that the case diary was with the investigating officer and Guntakal DSP K.V. Mohan Rao and he was with the SP talking to IGP Rayalaseema regarding the case. Castigating the police for their failure to provide the necessary information, the judge directed 14 days' judicial custody (till May 4) to the four persons and instructed the police to lodge them in the district jail at Reddypalli, near Anantapur.

Counsel for the suspects C.O. Ravi told The Hindu that his clients had informed the court through him that they had gone into hiding after learning that Suryapratap Reddy's son had named them suspects in his complaint. They had sensed threat to their lives and were surrendering before the court, they said. The surrender of the four persons in the Sureedu murder case came as a blow to the police, who were claiming till Thursday night that they would soon nab the suspects.

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