KURNOOL: Dhone court on Friday issued a warrant for the arrest of K E Shyam Babu, son of Deputy Chief Minister KE Krishna Murthy, in connection with the murder of YSR Congress leader Cherukulapadu Narayana Reddy. The YSRCP leader was brutally murdered on May 22, 2017. The court also ordered police to arrest sub-inspector of Veldurti Tulasi Prasad and Devenakonda ZPTC member K Bojjamma.
Acting on a petition filed by the widow of the slain leader, Sridevi, Dhone Civil Court Judge Anjaneyulu issued the arrest warrant. The court ordered the police two months ago to file a case against Shyam Babu and submit the details of the progress in the investigation into the murder of the YSRC leader.
Following this, the police registered a case under Section 190 and 200 of CrPC, 1973. Sridevi said she had filed a private petition in the court on December 29, 2017 when she realised that the police were soft-pedalling on the case at the behest of one of the accused, Shyam Babu’s father and Deputy Chief Minister K E Krishnamurthy. She alleged that police were trying to drop charges against Shyam Babu and two others in the case.
When TNIE contacted Dhone DSP S Baba Fakrudddin about the warrant against K E Shyam Babu, he said no such order from the court was received by police till Friday evening.
YSR Congress Pathikonda in-charge Narayana Reddy and his aid Samba Shivudu were waylaid and hacked to death at Ramakrishnapuram village of Krishna Giri mandal on May 22, 2017. A notorious faction leader, Narayana Reddy was allegedly involved in the murder of several people in Krishnagiri and Veldurthi mandals over a period of 25 years. The families of the victims who had left their villages out of fear of the factionist reportedly returned to their villages recently and conspired to kill him.
Some of the kept a close watch on his movements. When they came to know about his plan to visit Nandyal to attend a wedding, they carried out the murder. The police registered cases against 15 members at Veldurthi police station and arrested 12 of them. The accused included Shyam Babu.