The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Police claim breakthrough in Paritala case

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Monday, Jan 31, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Police claim breakthrough in Paritala case

By Our Staff Reporter

ANANTAPUR, JAN. 30. The Anantapur police today claimed to have unravelled the conspiracy behind the killing of the Telugu Desam legislator, Paritala Ravi, identifying G. Suryanarayana Reddy alias Suri, as the `mastermind'. Their conclusion was based on the `confession' of Rekhamaiah, one of the main accused, during interrogation.

The Superintendent of Police, R.S. Praveen Kumar, announced this at a press conference here, while detailing the progress made in the preliminary investigation of the case so far. Police believe that Suri had hatched the conspiracy from Cherlapalli jail, where he is undergoing life imprisonment in connection with the Jubilee Hills car bomb blast in which 26 persons were killed in 1997.

Several arrested

According to a report from Hyderabad, Rekhamaiah's `confession' has led to several arrests in the State and in Karnataka. Although the police were reluctant to show these arrests on record, it is reliably learnt that at least eight suspects, apart from Rekhamaiah, are already in their custody. They are on the lookout for a key suspect, Julakanti Srinivas Reddy, who is expected to surrender soon.

Rekhamaiah, who gave himself up to the Mahabubnagar police last week, was produced before a judge in Anantapur and sent to judicial remand. He would be taken into police custody again for further investigation, Mr. Praveen Kumar said.

Quoting the suspect's `confession', he said the Rekhamaiah had befriended one Damodar Reddy of the Wanaparthi area in Mahabubnagar jail, where the two were serving a sentence. After the two were freed, Damodar Reddy took him to Cherlapalli jail to meet Suri `who paid Rs. 5,000 initially and Rs. 50,000 later'.

After meeting Suri once again in Cherlapalli jail, Rekhamaiah teamed up with Narayana Reddy and Julakanti Srinivasa Reddy. On January 15, the three of them met one Obula Reddy in Anantapur and gave final touches to their plan.

They tried to execute their plan on January 18 near the residence of Ravi's relative in the Ramnagar area but failed. After learning that Paritala would attend a TDP meeting on January 24, the three decided to make another attempt.

Along with Konda Reddy, Seenu and Ranganayakulu, they reached the TDP office in teams. While some waited outside, three entered the party office. After spraying bullets from different directions and killing the `target', the trio escaped on two motorcycles and fled to Hyderabad in a "Cruiser'' vehicle belonging to one Rajani via Gooty, Kurnool and Mahabubnagar. The SP said they also recovered the revolver allegedly used by Narayana Reddy and four bullets.

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