The Hindu : Front Page : Two accused of killing TV anchor, one held

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 15, 2007
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Two accused of killing TV anchor, one held

Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA: Unravelling the mystery behind the killing of TV newsreader Badiga Lakshmi Sujatha, whose body was found in a lodge in Governorpet on February 10, the police on Wednesday charged Gandla Chandrasekhar alias Chandu (26), a make-up man with Teja Television, and his roommate Gariyala Ravindra alias Ravi (25), an unemployed youth, with committing the offence. While Ravi was arrested and produced before the media, Chandu was still at large.

Narrating the sequence of events that led to the murder, Vijayawada Police Commissioner C.V. Anand said that the crime was "pre-planned" and it was jealousy that led to the killing. Sujatha was intoxicated and raped before she was murdered in Vajram lodge in the city on February 9, he said.

Mr. Anand said 23-year-old Sujatha had joined Teja News Channel as a newsreader a year-and-a-half ago and used to be friendly with Chandu, who thought that she was in love with him. Chandu often bought costly gifts for Sujatha and spent huge amounts of money on her. Though Sujatha was intimate with Chandu, she maintained rapport with a few colleagues at the FM Radio Channel launched by Teja News Channel six months ago after she joined as a radio jockey there. She began to ignore Chandu's calls during this phase.

Mr. Anand said that Ravi, the second accused, went to Hyderabad from Kondepi village in Prakasam district in search of livelihood 20 days before the crime was committed, and shared a room with Chandu. Ravi was picked up from Hyderabad on Tuesday night and he told the police that Sujatha came to Chandu's room twice in the two weeks prior to the killing.

Sujatha reached Gudivada, her native place, by Machilipatnam Express on February 5, and Chandu and Ravi went to the railway station to see her off. Chandu was disturbed to see here three youngsters from the radio channel moving closely with Sujatha. It was here that he allegedly hatched a conspiracy to kill Sujatha in Vijayawada during her return journey, Mr. Anand said.

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