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Andhra Pradesh: Police arrest 5 treasure hunters involved in triple murder case

TIRUPATI: After almost 100 days of painstaking investigation, Anantapur police on Tuesday arrested a gang of treasure hunters responsible for the murder of a priest and two elderly women at the premises of a temple at Korthikota village in Tanakallu mandal on July 15 earlier this year.


Speaking to reporters at Anantapur, SP Satya Yesubabu said a six-member treasure hunter gang from Puttaparthi, had hatched a plan to steal the Shiva lingam at the Korthikota temple believing precious stones were hidden inside it.



The gang members identified as Ramavat Hanumanth Naik (20), Ejaloth Srikanth Naik (25), Chakali Ganesh (25), Erragudi Vasudev Reddy (45), Musalikunta Srinivasulu (45) and Subramanyam Naidu had conducted a recce of the temple on March 17.

On July 14, the gang brought along two bottles of animal blood which they sprinkled on the Shiva lingam and around the two anthills to ward off snakes which might be guarding the Shiva temple.

The gang found priest Sivarami Reddy (70), his sister K Kamalamma (75) and a Bangalore-based devotee Satya Lakshmamma (70) sleeping near the temple. The accused killed the trio using knives and hammers. The accused confessed to the police that they eliminated them to ensure none came in their way when they tried to loot the treasure.

The gang then tried to decamp with the Shiva lingam but in vain. The accused panicked after their efforts to move the Shiva lingam failed and fled the spot.

A case was filed by priest's wife Prabhavati in this regard. The police had great difficulty with the investigation as they could not find any clues and fingerprints at the crime scene.

According to Anantapur SP Satya Yesubabu, special teams formed to probe the case travelled 7,000 kilometer and recorded the statements of more than 300 people in connection with the triple murder.

The police could finally crack the case with the help of a cellphone, tower locations and other modern technical serveilance techniques. After the arrest of the five members of the gang, police seized five mobile phones, knives, a hammer and other weapons used by the accused for the crime.

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