Five Sentenced to Death in 2015 Chittoor Mayor Double Murder Case
The court found them guilty of conspiring and executing a pre-planned attack inside the Chittoor Municipal Corporation office on November 17, 2015.
Update: 2025-10-31 17:07 GMT
Tirupati: Nearly a decade after the brutal killings of former Chittoor mayor Katari Anuradha and her husband Katari Mohan, the Chittoor 9th Additional District Court on Friday sentenced five men to death. The court also ordered the convicts to pay `50 lakh to the victims’ family and `20 lakh to the complainant, Satish Kumar Naidu.
The verdict, delivered by in-charge Judge N. Srinivasa Rao, brought to a close one of the most sensational murder trials in Chittoor’s history. Those sentenced to death are S. Chandrasekhar, 55, also known as Chintu, M. Venkatesh, 49, K. Jayaprakash Reddy, 33, T. Manjunath, 37, and Venkata Chalapathi, 61.
The court found them guilty of conspiring and executing a pre-planned attack inside the Chittoor Municipal Corporation office on November 17, 2015.
Chittoor Mayor Katari Anuradha and her husband Katari Mohan. (Photo by arrangemnt)
According to the prosecution, the double murder stemmed from a long-standing family dispute. On the day of the crime, the accused met at Chintu’s office before proceeding to the corporation office building. Disguised in black burqas, Chintu and Venkatesh carried bags filled with vegetables to conceal sickles and air pistols. When a relative of Mohan questioned them, Chintu removed his disguise, pushed him aside and entered the Mayor’s chamber. He fired at Anuradha from close range, killing her instantly.
As others tried to intervene, Manjunath and Venkatesh attacked Mohan with sickles and an air pistol. Mohan, bleeding heavily, ran toward the Council Hall but was chased and hacked on the neck. He was rushed to the district hospital and later to CMC hospital in Vellore, where he died that night.
The case was registered at the Chittoor I Town police station on a complaint from Satish Kumar Naidu.
The investigation, led by then SP Ghattamaneni Srinivas and DSP M. Lakshmi Naidu, resulted in the arrest of 23 people. One accused, S. Srinivasachari, died during the trial, and another, Kasaram Ramesh, was discharged, leaving 21 to face trial. Proceedings stretched for years due to procedural delays.
After examining witness statements and material evidence, the court convicted the five principal accused on October 24 and acquitted the remaining 16. The sentence, announced on Friday, cited the brutal and deliberate nature of the killings as grounds for capital punishment. The judge also ordered action against those who gave false testimony.
After the verdict, the convicts were taken back to prison under police escort. Chittoor SP Tushar Dudi commended then DSP Lakshmi Naidu, then inspector Niranjan Kumar, current DSP T. Sainath, inspector Maheshwar, special public prosecutor Sailaja and others for their roles in securing the convictions.