OPERATION SUCCESS: Cyberabad Police Commissioner P. Prabhakar Reddy addressing media after a special police team nabbed a six-member hired assassins gang which was allegedly involved in the murder of Congress leader Jagadeeshwar Reddy on Saturday. Tw o knives, cell phones and cash recovered from the gang also seen. - Photo: Mohd.Yousuf

HYDERABAD: A degree second year student and four of his associates, all below 20 years, turned out to be the killers of Congress leader M. Jagadishwar Reddy, the police said on Saturday.

Y. Sridhar Reddy of Uppal, also a Congress leader, is alleged to have hired the youngsters for killing Jagadishwar as he feared a political threat from the latter. He paid Rs. 4.5 lakh for the contract killing, Cyberabad Police Commissioner S. Prabhakar Reddy told a press conference.

The hired killers, student U. Sandeep, his associates, G. Ganesh, Manmohan Jah, P. Sai Baba, Devakanth Anil Kumar and Sridhar Reddy's accomplice P. Jitender Reddy were arrested. Three bikes, Rs.3.45 lakh, two knives and four mobiles were recovered from them.

Sridhar Reddy and Jagadishwar Reddy, both from Uppal, made money in real estate business. The two men in their early 30s have been vying with each other to gain supremacy in and around Uppal. Bharath Youth, which had a gym and other recreation facilities attracting scores of local youths, became a bone of contention between them.

Bone of contention

As both of them had political aspirations, the fight for supremacy became even more acute. "Worried that Jagadishwar Reddy had become a stumbling block for his political growth, Sridhar Reddy struck a deal with the hired killers hailing from Nimboliadda to eliminate the former," the Commissioner said.

On May 22, Sridhar Reddy's associates spotted the victim returning from city to Uppal in his car and alerted the hired assassins. Sandeep stabbed him to death after a chase. The Commissioner said inquiry is on to probe allegations against Uppal police station Inspector Muthaym Reddy, alleged to have supported the accused.

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