Breaking the veil on a calculated killing, Telangana authorities have arrested a close associate of writer Boggula Srinivas for masterminding his execution via contract killers, all over a GST payment spat.
Fishermen in Khammam district’s Palair reservoir stumbled upon the horror on February 14—a car with Srinivas’s body inside, submerged and staged as an accident. Initial reports of a fleeing driver dissolved under scrutiny when injuries inconsistent with a crash emerged.
Srinivas, 48, from Alluru village in Nandyal, Andhra Pradesh, courted danger with his 2014 anti-Pawan Kalyan book, surviving prior threats. His family’s skepticism post-death spurred a thorough police probe.
In a week’s time, investigators collared Venu Madhav Reddy and his trio of killers from Badradri Kothagudem—P. Koteshwar Rao, Sheikh Abdul Hafiz, Ajmat Ali. The assassination unfolded near Narkatpalli, Nalgonda, during Srinivas’s Vijayawada trip.
Assistant Police Commissioner Tirupati Reddy revealed the backstory: Reddy’s unauthorized use of Srinivas’s GST account led to liabilities. Demands for cash to clear them provoked the lethal response.
The cover-up involved dumping the car in the reservoir. But police persistence prevailed, securing confessions and evidence. With suspects in irons, the case marches toward trial.
This episode exposes the lethal undercurrents of fiscal betrayals and reaffirms law enforcement’s resolve against such shadows.