The Nellore district police claimed to have solved the mystery behind the Tada bus killings by arresting one Donaboina Srinivasa Rao, (33), a native of P. Gannavaram in East Godavari district, here on Sunday.
Misplaced revenge against an SI and failed marriage attempts were stated to be the reason for the murders.
Knife recovered
An ordinary knife, which was sharp and blood-stained, was recovered from him. Also, 3 cell phones, 5 SIMs, 7 bank ATM cards and the stained shirt, which was used at the time of murders, were recovered.
The police said that Srinivasa Rao was arrested on charge of killing three persons and injuring another in the Chennai-bound Bhadrachalam depot bus around 4 a.m. on July 26 near Tada on AP-Tamil Nadu border. After allegedly committing the crime, he slipped into darkness, came to Gudur railway station and boarded Kerala Express to reach Vijayawada where he reported for duty at Aditya pharmacy the same day at 11 a.m.
Srinivasa Rao, alias Vasu, bore a grudge against Tada SI Srinivasula Reddy, as he thought it was because of him that he spent 20 days in jail in a molestation case in Manubolu police station limits and also lost job in Medplus pharmacy in Hyderabad in 2010. Rao sent an SMS to the SI on June 16 saying that he would create a sensation in Tada police station limits where the SI is presently posted.
SP B.V. Ramana Kumar said that clinching evidence was available against the arrested person and further investigation would continue.