MAHABUBABAD: The Mahabubabad district court on Friday sentenced Manda Sagar (24) to death by hanging for the kidnap and murder of nine-year-old Kusuma Deekshith Reddy on October 18, 2020.
Sagar was convicted of strangulating the boy barely hours after kidnapping him and then setting the body on fire to avoid being identified. Soon after kidnapping Deekshith, Sagar made a ransom call demanding Rs 45 lakh using VOIP (voice over internet protocol) to avoid being traced.
Upon getting the call, the boy’s parents, Vasantha and Ranjith Reddy, arranged the ransom money. Ranjith Reddy headed to Danamayya hillocks in the limits of Kesamudram and Annaram villages as directed by the kidnapper where he waited through the night.
However, Sagar had got scared after the kidnapping and strangulated Deekshith with his T-shirt to avoid being identified by the victim. He then poured petrol on the body and set fire to it.
Based on a complaint filed by the boy’s parents, Mahabubabad sub-inspector Ch Arun Kumar registered a case and zeroed in on Sagar on October 20. Sagar was arrested and after four days of interrogation, he confessed to the crime.
A chargesheet was filed under Sections 363, 364(A), 302, 419, and 201 of the IPC. The prosecution, led by public prosecutor Ch Venkateshwarlu and POCSO court prosecutor K Padmakar Reddy, presented an array of evidence, including the testimony of 43 witnesses, in the court. Deekshith Reddy’s parents expressed a sense of closure and relief at the verdict.