Police suspect role of three more in rowdy sheeter’s murder

DSP, the prime accused, is said to be not cooperating with police

Even as it is being thought that the murder case of rowdy sheeter Gedela Raju has been solved with the surrender of the prime accused, DSP Dasari Ravi Babu, and the arrest of nine contract killers, the police suspect the involvement of more personsas they focus on reconstructing the case.

It is learnt that the role of a realtor, a hotelier, and a political leader, all from the Gajuwaka area, is being investigated.

According to a senior officer investigating the case, there are enough clues to suggest that the three of them were party to the conspiracy.

The police had already stated that it was Ravi Babu who “groomed’ Raju and used him to serve his personal interests in the real estate business.

But the growing influence of Raju turned out to be a threat not only for Ravi Babu but also for the other accused, Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Raju, a realtor and editor of ‘Kshatriya Bheri’, a Telugu Daily. They were all into real estate business, land grabbing, and extortion, say police sources.

This was one of the main reasons to get Raju eliminated, apart from the “blackmail angle” in the Padmalatha murder case, said a senior officer.

Padmalatha, with whom Ravi Babu allegedly had an extra-marital relationship, was reportedly poisoned to death in 2016 allegedly by Raju at the instance of the DSP. As part of the deal, Raju received ₹1.3 crore.

But as Raju started demanding ₹50 lakh more, the DSP and the other accused hatched a conspiracy and got it executed by the contract killers, the officer said,

The police on Monday obtained four-day custody of Ravi Babu.

Bhupathiraju is still said to be absconding, but sources say that he has been nabbed and will be produced in court shortly.

Ravi Babu is said to be not cooperating with the police in piecing up the evidences against him. According to an investigating officer, apart from the confession of the contract killers and DSP’s initial acceptance, there is hardly any evidence.

The police also fear that they may turn hostile ones the trial begins.

‘No evidence’

All the transactions with the contract killers had been made in cash. The cellphone recording, with the help of which Raju allegedly blackmailed the DSP, is also missing. There is no concrete circumstantial evidence against the officer. Moreover, Padmalatha was cremated without conducting post mortem as it was then certified a natural death.