HYDERABAD: Had sharp-shooter Julakanti Srinivas Reddy alias Moddu Seenu been alive, he would have found himself in a deep mess as far as investigation into the sensational Paritala Ravindra murder case is concerned.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the Paritala case, had gathered such strong evidence against Seenu.
``We had unearthed incriminating evidence against him to prove his role in Paritala Ravindra’s murder case. In fact, several witnesses in the case had even identified him during the test-identification parade,’’ CBI sources associated with the investigation told Express.
Seenu was done to death inside the Anantapur district jail by a co-prisoner M om Prakash yesterday morning. He was already serving seven years imprisonment in the case of a bomb blast at a hotel in Chandanagar on the outskirts of the City. He was acquitted in two murder cases while trial was going on in another murder case, that of former naxalite Venkat Reddy who was allegedly killed by seenu.
sources said now that seenu was no more, the case against him would be abated and the trial for the remaining accused will continue.
CBI officials said the statements of all accused, witnesses and other evidence clearly pointed out to seenu’s role in the Paritala case.
Paritala was shot dead, allegedly by seenu and others, while the TDP MLA was coming out of the party office in Anantapur in January, 2005. The probe is presently being headed by Jacob, SP of the special Crime Branch of the CBI, Chennai.
The officials confirmed that though Seenu had wanted to turn approver in the case, the CBI was in two minds as Seenu was the key accused who had allegedly opened fire at Paritala Ravi.
``Normally, the main accused in any case is never allowed to turn approver and it is only the peripheral persons (other accused) who are made approvers. if the main accused himself turns approver, it means that he would escape punishment and get a pardon,’’ officials observed.
The CBI officials clarified that during the course of investigation, the alleged involvement of ministers, their sons or any IPS officer, never came to light.
``The statement of another accused in the case, Ram Mohan, who turned approver, was also recorded and he gave all details about how the arms (used to kill Paritala) were procured by seenu and from whom. The evidence against seenu was more than sufficient to get him severe punishment,’’ sources added.