Telangana lawyer-couple murder: Expelled TRS leader Srinivas Kunta, two others arrested

The Telangana Police on Thursday (February 18) arrested the three main accused in the twin murders of lawyer-couple G Vaman Rao and his wife PV Nagamani.

The main accused, expelled TRS leader Kunta Srinivas, along with the other two accused, Chiranjeevi and Kumar were arrested from Maharashtra's Chandrapur, where they were in hiding, reported News18.com. The police have also seized the black car used in the crime.

G Vaman Rao and his wife were brutally hacked to death by professional killers in full public view on the outskirts of Hyderabad on Wednesday (February 17). Before his death, Vaman Rao had accused Srinivas of the crime. 

According to police, the deceased couple and the accused have a history of fueds. The latest bone of contention was a piece of goverment land on which Srinivas and another accused, Vasantha Rao, an influential local leader, wanted to construct a temple. Vaman Rao and his wife were opposed to this idea and had filed several court cases to stop them.

"The murder was pre-planned. Srinivas hired professional killers who followed the couple who were on their way to Hyderabad. They tracked them down, blocked their vehicle and stabbed them to death in the middle of the road. The accused confessed that the motive behind the murder was a series of legal cases filed against him by the deceased couple," said Inspector General Nagi Reddy.

According to the police, Kunta Srinivas has a history of criminal cases against him which includes vandalism of public property and extortion. Both the BJP and Congress are now demanding a CBI probe into the matter.

"In his dying declaration, Vaman Rao named TRS Manthani Mandal president Kunta Srinivas. The couple was murdered by the TRS sand mafia for raising their voice against the custodial killing of a dalit, Seelam Rangaiah on May 25, 2020. Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao's silence is deafening and only a CBI inquiry will bring out the truth," said Congress MP Uttam Kumar Reddy according to the News18 report.

Three-high level teams have been set up to probe the double murders. Meanwhile, the police have taken into custody 10 of Srinivas's associates in addition to the three arrests by the police on Thursday (February 18).