ANANTAPUR: Mystery shrouds the brutal murder of three persons whose blood was offered to the Shiva Lingam and smeared in a temple in Korthikota village under Tanakal police limits. Although during the preliminary investigation, the police suspected treasure hunters to have committed the human sacrifice to acquire the treasure hidden in the temple premises, various other possibilities are now unfolding in the case.
Shivarami Reddy, a retired instructor from ITI college and native of Tamballapalle, Chittoor district, was spending some time at the Lord Shiva temple in Kortihkota. The temple was built over five decades ago by his brother-in-law, and Mr Reddy had been looking after it and offering prayers there. Other than his own funds, he had been collecting funds from devotees to renovate the temple.
Shivarami Reddy, Kamalamma and Satya Lakshmi were beaten to death during the wee hours on Monday. Their blood was later offered to the Shiva Lingam in the temple. The Clues teams were unable to crack the mystery behind the murders.
Sources said Satya Lakshmi possessed around 10 tolas of gold jewellery and Rs 10 lakh in cash at the time of the murder. The trio also had mobile phones on them. The accused did not touch the gold or the cash.
Some sources claimed that Shivarami Reddy had kept in close contact with every local in the village.
Police sources said Reddy had lent money to several people in Tamballapalle and developed differences with some of them over repayments. Special teams are verifying the role, if any, of these debtors in the triple murder.
