ANANTAPUR: Panic gripped Tanakallu after a 40-year-old man was brutally murdered right in front of the local police station in the early hours of Monday.
Kadiri Rural Circle Inspector P Nagendra said the victim, identified as Eswarappa of Markuri Vandlapalli village, was attacked with hunting sickles near the entrance of Tanakallu police station around 3.30 am.
Police said the murder was linked to an ongoing probe into a missing woman case. On December 31, 2025, Yerri Hari of Raginepalli village lodged a complaint with the police stating that his 21-year-old wife Naga Sirisha had gone missing.
During investigation, police traced her at Gudur in Tirupati district with Eswarappa. Police brought Sirisha and Eswarappa to Tanakallu police station to present them before the tahsildar later. Hari was summoned for identification.
Reports suggest that Hari informed his brother Chinnappa about the arrival of Sirisha and Eswarappa. As the police team entered the station premises, the accused launched a surprise attack on Eswarappa, killing him instantaneously. Sri Sathya Sai District SP S Satish Kumar has ordered a thorough probe into the murder.