Vijayawada: Vijayawada police on Wednesday picked up several prime suspects in the sensational triple murder case and also seized large quantity of gold and silver, besides cash from the houses of the astrologers at Pinakadimi in Pedavegi mandal of West Godavari district.
Sources in city police said that prime suspect Srinivas, a relative of Bootham Durga Rao, was picked up by the cops and is being questioned.
An investigation official said, “During the searches, six kg of gold, 40 kg of silver and Rs 30 lakh in cash were seized.”
The latest models of imported smartphones were also found. A car with Maharashtra registration plates that is believed to have been used to transport the killers and the weapons were also seized.
“As the weapons couldn’t have been brought by air, they used the car,” the cop said.
Police said that the hired killers were yet to be caught but those who plotted the murders were taken into custody and are being questioned.
“By October 4, all the accused will be arrested,” a police officer told this newspaper.
Role of Eluru cops under lens
Vijayawada police is inquiring into the role of Eluru I-Town inspector Murali Krishna and some constables as part of their investigations into the triple murder case.
Though the police remain tight-lipped over the progress of the case, sources say that the victims, while on their way from Mumbai to Eluru to attend hearing in the murder case of Durga Rao, were believed to have requested a senior official at Eluru to arrange police escort to them as they feared an attack.
Accordingly, the senior official is learnt to have orally instructed Eluru I-Town inspector Murali Krishna to provide escort to the astrologers. Two police constables in plain clothes are learnt to have accompanied the three astrologers Gandham Venkateswara Rao and his two sons Pagidi Maraiah and Maraiah from Gannavaram airport in the same car.
However, it is not known yet, whether they were carrying weapons at that time.
Moreover, when the killers opened fire on the victims, the two constables and the car driver escaped unhurt. Soon after the incident, the car driver surrendered to the Eluru I-Town police.
This gives credence to the theory that the Eluru police arranged an escort and he arrived there to inform about the development.
The inspector alleg-edly did not disclose the details about sending the two constables as escort in his official report on the incident.
DCP Tafsir Iqbal, who is probing the case, is believed to have identified the two constables and is questioning them.
