Gun culture: Sarpanch shot-at in Srikakulam; no headway in businessman's murder case

Srikakulam/ Vizianagaram: Ramachandrapuram Sarpanch Goli Venkata Ramana of Srikakulam district suffered gunshot wounds when some persons fired at him following a heated argument over an illegal sand mining dispute on Wednesday.

Ramana and a few others were allegedly involved in the illegal sand mining that led to the firing, sources said. Ramana of Gara Mandal in Srikakulam district was admitted to the hospital with bullet injuries on his hand.

The incident has once again exposed the increasing illegal gun culture in north coastal Andhra Pradesh (NCAP) comprising Vizag, Vizianagaram, and Srikakulam districts

Four years have passed since the public shock over the grisly murder of businessman P Murali Krishnudu alias Murali Krishna at Parvathipuram in Vizianagaram district. But, there seems to be no headway in the investigation and the police are still groping in dark with no concrete leads coming their way to solve the murder mystery.

The 50-year-old ran a supermarket and cloth shops along with a few partners at Parvathipuram. He was shot at from a point black range by two-unidentified persons at the gate of his house on July 22, 2017. Hearing the gunshot, his family members rushed out. But by then, Murali was dead. A case under section 302 (murder) of the IPC was registered against unidentified miscreants.

Police suspected business rivalry to be the reason behind the murder. "We had worked on several angles to ascertain the exact reasons behind the murder. Getting concrete information about the rivalry of the businessman is not easy. Family members of the deceased didn't disclose anything to prove it was a case of business rivalry," said a police officer.

He said since the incident took place in the night, no one has seen the culprits. "There were no CCTV cameras at the location to identify the accused persons. We are investigating the case from all possible angles. It is a challenging case for us," Dasarathi said.

Although police had quizzed over 20 local rowdy-sheeters and other gangs, they apparently got no clue in the case. Similarly, police questioned 60 relatives, business partners, friends, and a few others but to no avail.

A senior police officer on condition of anonymity said that the murder of Murali Krishnudu has exposed the gun culture and Supari killing in Tiny Town. "We are waiting with hopes to solve the case as we are still suspecting someone has hired the professional killers to eliminate the businessman. We will continue efforts to nab the culprits," he added.