Chandrasekhar alias Chintu, the prime accused in the double murder of Chittoor Mayor Katari Anuradha and her husband Katari Mohan surrendered before court here on Monday. The surrender was followed by high drama and deployment of over 500 police personnel on the premises of the District First Class Magistrate Court.
The surrender comes two weeks after the murders. On November 17, >a gang of five men had barged into the Mayor's chamber , shooting and then stabbing her and her husband.
According to some sources, Chandrasekhar came to the court alone in an autorikshaw and suddenly barged into the court, surrendering before the judge. Another version is that he had arrived outside the court premises by car and walked into the court. A Chittoor-based advocate, Yoganand, has taken up Chandrasekhar's case.
News of the surrender spread fast, forcing the district police administration to rush armed police personnel. At the time of Chandrasekhar's surrender, there was reportedly no police personnel present there barring regular staff connected to court duties.
After Chandrasekhar had sat inside the court for about two hours, the judge remanded him to 14 days judicial custody, shifting him to Kadapa sub-jail. Though the police filed a petition seeeking Chandrasekhar's custody, it did not happen. The hearing on this is likely to be in a couple of days. The police whisked him away in a heavily guarded police van.
Interestingly, Chandrasekhar surrendered before the court while Chittoor SP G. Srinivas was addressing a press conference around 11.30 a.m., saying that all efforts were being taken to arrest Chandrasekhar. He further announced that three more accused in the case -- Haridas, Murugan alias Muruga and Parandhama (aides of Chandrasekhar) -- were arrested on Sunday night. An SUV and a motorcycle were seized from them. Earlier, the police had arrested five persons. In all, the police have listed eleven accused in the murder case.
Meanwhile, a large number of supporters of the slain Katari couple stormed the court premises and staged a dharna, demanding "justice" and punishment to Chandrasekhar. At one stage, the police had to use mild force.
Curfew like situation prevailed in Chittoor town immediately after the surrender. The police deployed armed parties at all vulnerable areas in order to prevent any untoward turn of events.
