CHITTOOR: The VI Additional District and Sessions Court, Chittoor, awarded the death sentence to five accused (A1 to A5) in the sensational murder case of former Chittoor mayor Katari Anuradha and her husband Mohan in 2015.
Sriram Chandrasekhar alias Chintu (A1), Venkatachalapathi alias Mulabagal Venkatesh (A2), Jaya Prakash Reddy (A3), Manjunath (A4), and M Venkatesu (A5), were brought to the court from the Chittoor district jail for the double murder case trial.
After hearing the arguments of the prosecution and the defence counsel, and examining the witnesses, the court delivered the verdict on Friday.
All the five accused were found guilty under the IPC Section 120B for criminal conspiracy in executing the double murder. The five accused were awarded the death sentence under the IPC Section 302 read with 120B for the murder of Anuradha and Mohan.
A fine of Rs 70 lakh was imposed on Chintu, and of which Rs 50 lakh would to be paid to the family of the deceased couple, and Rs 20 lakh to Veluri Satish Kumar Naidu (PW 1), who was injured in the attack.
Section 144 in Chittoor to deter violence
On November 17, 2015, Chintu and Venkatesh, along with three others, entered the Chittoor Municipal Corporation office disguised in burqas, and murdered Anuradha and her husband.
Firearms and lethal weapons were used in the double murder. Property dispute was found to be the motive behind the double murder.
Chittoor police identified 24 suspects in the double murder case, and filed a chargesheet against 23 on February 18, 2016. K Ramesh (A22) was acquitted after being found not guilty, while S Srinivasachari (A21) died during the case trial.
Over the decade-long trial, the court examined 57 witnesses, whose testimonies proved crucial in awarding the capital punishment to the quintet.
As a precautionary measure, Section 144 was imposed in Chittoor town to prevent any untoward incident after the proclamation of death sentence to the five accused in the double murder case. Chittoor police have appealed to citizens to maintain peace.
