Tirupati: An alleged misfire of the weapon belonging to the gunman of additional superintendent of police B. Sharat Babu resulted in the death of his driver M. Ramesh Babu at the Nellore district police headquarters on Saturday night.
Mr Sharat Babu was in the vehicle when the weapon of gunman Nagendra went off. Three bullets were fired off, resulting in serious injuries to Ramesh Babu.
Superintendent of police P.H.D Ramakrishna rushed out on hearing the sound of gunfire, and rushed the driver to the hospital even while the ASP was in shock.
Ramesh Babu was taken to a hospital in nearby Dargamitta, where he died about an hour later while undergoing treatment.
Police informed the family which was on its way to Tirupati. They rushed back. Police said ASP Sharat Babu had come to the police office at the late hour time for an emergency.
Ramesh Babu’s family alleged that his death was the result of a conspiracy and demanded an inquiry.
Ramesh Babu, a 2009 batch constable, was in a relationship with one Anasuya, who alleged that Nagendra had called the driver saying the ASP had to go to the police headquarters.
She said Ramesh had been tense over the past few days. She claimed he had told her that betting kingpin Krishna Singh used to call him several times. She alleged that Ramesh Babu said Krishna Singh used his phone to speak to ASP Sharat Babu.
She suspected that Ramesh Babu had been killed in a murder plot involving the ASP and the gunman.
She later met the SP, Mr Ramakrishna, after which she allegted that Nagendra had had killed Ramesh and that there she had been assured an impartial inquiry.
Mr Ramakrishna told newspersons that the driver was not a suspect in the betting case. “This is case of misfire, we have interrogated the gunman. We will investigate further to clear the doubts of the family.”
Mr Ramakrishna said Ramesh Babu was alive for an hour after the incident and that he was with him at that time. “He would have told me if the weapon was fired intentionally,” he said.
