12 persons detained over killing of murder accused

Murali Krishna was the second accused in the killing of a rival gang member

The Tirupati Urban police on Wednesday reportedly took 12 persons into their custody to interrogate them about the killing of a murder-accused.

Pasupuleti Murali Krishna, also known as ‘Belt Murali’, was killed in the city on December 21. Murali was the second accused in the murder of a local named Bhargav in December 2017. Bhargav was allegedly a member of a rival gang.

A day after Murali’s murder, his brother Ravishankar expressed doubts that the incident could be the handiwork of Bhargav’s erstwhile gang members. Ravishankar claimed that Bhargav’s gang had taken a vow on his second death anniversary on December 2 to eliminate all his rivals within a month.

On the basis of Ravishankar’s claims, police launched a manhunt and reportedly obtained leads based on CCTV footage and intercepts of mobile phone conversations. Twelve of Bhargav’s friends were picked up and taken to Chandragiri police station for questioning.