GUNTUR: A land dispute led to murder of a couple at Jettipalem in Rentachintala mandal on Friday.
According to Rentachintala police, Mekapothu Venkateswara Reddy (55) and his younger brother Pitchi Reddy were involved in a dispute over sharing five acres of land of their mother for the past four years.
They both moved court on the issue and filed cases against each other in the local police station. Though the village elders tried to resolve the land dispute, the two brothers were rigid on their stand. It was stated that Venkateswara Reddy got the thumb impressions of his mother on stamp papers pertaining to ownership right on the five acres of land as he stayed with her in her last days. After her death, Pitchi Reddy demanded a share in the property. But Venkateswara Reddy refused to give a share in it.
At present, Venkateswara Reddy and his wife Padma (48) were cultivating the land. Pitchi Reddy approached the RDO recently seeking justice. The two brothers were summoned by the revenue officials for a hearing on June 12 to resolve the matter.
Pitchi Reddy and some others attacked Venkateswara Reddy and Padma with hunting sickles while the couple were sowing seeds in their fields. After murdering the couple, the assailants fled. The bodies were sent to Gurazala hospital for postmortem. Rentachintala SI Y Koteswara Rao registered a case.
Two police teams were formed to nab the assailants.