VIJAYAWADA: In a gruesome incident, a businessman was found dead under mysterious circumstances in his car parked in front of a restaurant at Moghalrajpuram here on Thursday. Identified as Karanam Rahul of Tadigadapa, the police said he is the managing director of ZXN Cylinders Company located at Cheruvu Madhavaram of G Kondur mandal in Krishna district.
The incident came to light on Thursday morning at around 6 am when locals dialed 100 to inform the police of the death. Upon receiving the information, Commissioner of Police (in-charge) G Pal Raj along with ACP Khadar Basha reached the spot and examined the deceased lying in the car. Rahul also happens to be a distant relative of former endowments minister and late BJP leader Pydikondala Manikyala Rao.
“Rahul was reported missing on Wednesday night. We have received a complaint at Penamaluru police station stating that he had left his house in his black SUV at around 7.30 on Wednesday evening saying he would return within an hour. There was no sign of him after several hours and despite numerous calls, his phone was not reachable,” Pal Raj said.
He said that they have traced the identity of the deceased based on the location of his mobile signal. “As the car was a high-end model, we can trace all the data as to where he had gone before reaching here.” The clues team has gathered all the data from the spot, he added.
According to preliminary investigation, the police deduced Rahul was allegedly murdered as they found a rope and a pillow lying next to the body. Noticing the marks on the deceased’s neck, they said that he must have been apparently strangled to death.
Meanwhile, five teams have been formed to probe the case from all angles. “A case under Section 174 of CrPC (suspicious death) was booked. The body has been shifted to New GGH for post-mortem,” the in-charge CP said.