KAKINADA: Kakinada police have cracked a two-month-old murder case by identifying a decomposed body found near Pithapuram JSP office as that of Tangella Lovaraju, 38, a resident of Dharmavaram in Anakapalle district.
Kakinada SP Bindu Madhav said Lovaraju was allegedly murdered by his wife, Syamala, in collusion with her relative Modem Mohan Kumar and his associate Balla Gangadhar Rao. The trio killed Lovaraju using a surgical blade while he was asleep and dumped his body in a canal between Kathipudi and Kakinada, near the JSP office. Hidden in thick bushes, the body went unnoticed until a lorry driver detected a foul smell. Gollaprolu police, upon inspection, found a highly decomposed body with injuries, making it difficult to identify the victim.
Due to the body’s location, speculation of political links arose. Police investigated over 7,000 missing cases, reviewed CCTV footage, and analysed mobile tower data. A breakthrough came on April 28 when Lovaraju’s mother filed a missing complaint at Yelamanchili. She revealed Syamala had discouraged her from approaching police. Further probe exposed Syamala’s extramarital affair with Mohan Kumar and the motive behind the murder.