SRIKAKULAM: Police on Wednesday arrested seven persons from Mettapeta village of Jalumuru mandal for their alleged their involvement in the murder of former CRPF jawan Metta Shankara Rao, whose body was found near the Vamsadhara river a few days ago. Apart from killing his wife in 2005, Metta Sankara Rao murdered seven people including his both children at his village Mettapeta on November 30, 2010.
The accused have been identified as Boddepalli Prakash Rao, Seepana Janardhana Rao, Karukota Dharma Rao, Pyla Appalanaidu, Chintada Appalanaidu, Voota Krishna and Sagi Naga Satya Neeladri Varma.
“Boddepalli Prakash Rao, Seepana Janardhana Rao, Karukota Dhamra Rao and Pyla Appala Naidu went to Bobbili after they came to know that Metta Sankara Rao was working as security personnel there. They abducted him from his work site,” SP J Brahma Reddy told the media while producing the accused.
Boddepalli Prakash Rao, whose wife Damayanti was killed by Metta Sankara Rao, hit the latter with an iron rod on his head and Shankara Rao collapsed on the spot on May 12.
Assuming that Shankara Rao died, they tried to shift the body to their native village by a car. However, Shankara Rao did some movement on the way and so the accused strangulated him with a rope on the outskirts of Sumanatapuram village of LN Peta mandal, the SP said.
Chintada Appala Naidu and Voota Krishna joined the accused on the village outskirts and threw the body into the Vamsadhara river near Sumantapuram.
The police seized a car, motor cycle, iron rod and cotton rope and other material used in Shankara Rao’s murder.
The SP said that the accused conducted a recce in Viziangaram before abducting Shakar Rao.
Among the accused, Boddepalli Prakash Rao alias Veerappan (56) said that his wife was brutally killed in front of his eyes by Shankara Rao on November 30, 2010. He said that he made an inquiry about Shankara Rao after he was released from jail.
The SP congratulated Amdadalavalasa CI Naveen Kumar and Sarubujjili SI Ashok Babu for their efforts to solve the murder mystery.