Bhanu Kiran, the prime accused in the killing of factionist Suri has confessed that he had paid Rs.1 crore to Julakanti Srinivas Reddy alias Moddu Sreenu, who was accused in the killing of another factionist Paritala Ravi.
This money was paid from the Rs.18.5 crore he had earned by helping contractors of the Hundri Neeva irrigation project, Bhanu told his interrogators.
The arrested man's interrogation report stated that most of the money he made in this project was used for paying the fees of advocates and other court expenses of the cases that his mentor Gangula Suryanarayana Reddy alias Suri had faced.
Instalments
A factionist from Anantapur district, Suri, had political rivalry and personal enmity with Telugu Desam MLA Paritala Ravindra. He had paid Moddu Sreenu in two instalments of Rs.30 lakh and Rs.70 lakh after the killing of Paritala Ravi, he claimed.
Bhanu, is stated to have confessed that he and Suri ensured that the project's works pertaining to packages V, VI and VII, worth Rs.178 crore, were allotted to GVR constructions, J.K. constructions and Coastal constructions.
While the first company paid Rs.6.5 crore, the second and third companies paid Rs.8.6 crores and Rs.3.5 crores respectively for helping them. He also alleged that a legislator's brother had paid them Rs.80 lakh for helping secure one bit of the project work.
Bhanu maintained that Suri was annoyed with him and accused him of making money by using his name to settle land and monetary disputes. Suri was also furious that Bhanu had intervened in a dispute in a Vijayawada company, when he was in jail. Bhanu also nursed grudges against Suri as the latter began abusing his family members and threatened to kill him.
On December 31, 2010, he planned to murder Suri while in a pub in Banjara Hills, police said.