ANANTAPUR: In an incident straight out of a Sherlock Holmes film, Anantapur police have cracked the murder case of a government teacher at Kadiri after questioning 5,000 suspects in five States, including 500 in Telangana. Finally, the accused has been nabbed in Kadiri itself.
For 90 days, eight teams comprising 30 police personnel worked to get a lead in the murder case and in the process, they tracked four lakh persons based on the mobile signal dump from bus stands, railway stations and other public places.
The footage of 500 CCTV cameras at the entry and exit points of Kadiri was also analysed to trace the murderer.
Anantapur Superintendent of Police K Fakeerappa on Wednesday said the accused Shaik Shafiullah (35) alias Shafi drew inspiration from Telugu film Dandupalyam. In the film, a gang of robbers unleashes terror by killing the inmates of their targeted houses and loot valuables.
Shafi who used to steal petrol from vehicles wanted to strike it rich. On November 16, 2021, he entered the house of Shankar Reddy, a teacher, in NGO Colony of Kadiri and attacked Reddy’s wife Usha Rani, an iron rod. After she lay dead, he decamped with gold and cash, the SP said.
While fleeing, he also attacked Sivamma, who runs a tea stall, and took away her gold. Though the police collected fingerprints from the crime scene, no vital clue was available to track down the killer. “Initially, we suspected the role of Pardhi gang and eight special teams were formed and sent to Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
"We went through the data of criminals and habitual offenders in those States and also took the help of State Crime Records Bureau. At least 5,000 suspects were questioned based on the data of criminals,’’ the SP said. From Telangana, 500 suspects were questioned, but the teams could not make a headway.
Another 1,500 property offenders and those who came out from prisons before November 16, were also questioned. The police teams also checked hotels and lodges in Kadiri on a regular basis, besides examining more than 2,000 suspects in the process.
On the other hand, migrant workers from other States and petty vendors were also questioned. Finally, the police apprehended Shafi at the Kadiri - Hindupur road. During interrogation, he had confessed to committing the crime. He was also involved in a couple of thefts earlier and cases were registered against him in Karnataka. Shafi, who hails from Karnataka, married a woman from Kadiri.
The police recovered 58 tolas of gold, `97,000 cash and a two-wheeler from him, the SP said.