Gangula Suryanarayana Reddy alias Maddelacheruvu Suri, the prime accused in the murder of former Minister and Telugu Desam MLA Paritala Ravi, was shot dead at close range in his car, allegedly by his own associate, at Navodaya Colony, Banjara Hills, here on Monday evening.
Two bullets were pumped into his head and neck apparently from behind when the car was in motion. He immediately slumped on the driver, Madanmohan Reddy. Suri was rushed in the same car to Apollo Hospitals in Jubilee Hills, in a critical condition where he succumbed to the bullet wounds, according to City Police Commissioner A. K. Khan.
Taking to presspersons at the hospital, Mr. Khan quoted the driver as saying that two shots were fired from behind when Suri was returning from Balanagar where he had gone to meet his advocate and was proceeding to the Madhuranagar-Krishnanagar road.
His close associate, Bhanu Kiran, who was sitting behind, has been missing ever since the firing occurred and is the prime suspect.
Mr. Khan said the car windows were rolled up and there was no indication of any shots being fired from outside. “Bhanu got down from the car immediately after the firing and slipped away. “He is an important suspect as he could reveal all the details,” he said. Special police teams were pressed into action to nab Bhanu and also authenticate the driver's version.
Suri was the kingpin behind the Jubilee Hills bomb blast in which 26 persons were killed and 20 injured.
