The Chilakalapudi police have registered a case of attempt to murder against Badugu Nageswara Rao, a mason, who was arrested on charge of attacking Transport Minister Perni Venkataramaiah (Nani) on Sunday.
The mason, who allegedly entered the Minister’s house at around 11.30 a.m. and tried to stab Mr. Nani on his stomach with a trowel. But, the tool hit the belt buckle. Again, he tried to attack the Minister for the second time.
But, the Minister pushed him away. The security personnel and the Minister’s followers caught hold of Negeswara Rao and handed over him to the police on the bandobust duty.
“We have registered a case against the mason under Section 307 IPC (attempt to murder). The police have recovered the trowel,” said Krishna Superintendent of Police M. Ravindranath Babu.
‘Motive not clear’
During questioning, the accused told the police that he attacked the Minister as he could not find any work and lost livelihood due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the motive behind the attack was not clear, the police said.
The Chilakalapudi police produced Nageswara Rao before the court on Monday, which remanded him to judicial custody for 15 days. He has been shifted to jail, the SP said.
“The police will file a petition in the court, seeking custody of the accused. The investigation officers will question Nageswara Rao thoroughly,” the SP added.
Criminal history
Meanwhile, the police are verifying whether Nageswara Rao had any criminal history. Investigation officers clarified that the accused was not under the influence of alcohol when he attacked the Minister.
Machilipatnam Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) M. Ramesh Reddy is investigating the case, Mr. Ravindranath Babu added.
