Moka Bhaskara Rao Murdered With Kollu Ravindra’s Backing: Krishna SP

VIJAYAWADA: Telugu Desam Party leader and former minister Kollu Ravindra, who was arrested on Friday in connection with the recent murder of YSRCP leader Moka Bhaskara Rao, was remanded to 14-day custody by a Machilipatnam court on Saturday. Subsequently, he was shifted to Machilipatnam sub-jail. Ravindra was questioned last night about his involvement in the case before he was produced before a magistrate in Machilipatnam on Saturday morning. In all, five persons were arrested in connection with the gruesome killing of the YSRCP leader.

 The arrest of the TDP’s former minister was effected after the prime accused in the case gave a confessional statement claiming that the murder plot was executed at the behest of Kollu Ravindra. The former minister went absconding on Friday since the time he was named in the case. Special teams deployed to apprehend him intercepted his vehicle near Tuni and took him into their custody.

Political One-Upmanship, Previous Enmity Led To Murder

Political one-upmanship coupled with previous personal enmity between China Nancharayya and YSRCP leader Moka Bhaskara Rao led to the gruesome murder of the latter in Machilipatnam. Krishna district Superintendent of Police (SP)  Ravindra Babu revealed this while disclosing the details of the arrest of TDP leader and former minister Kollu Ravindra in connection with the recent murder in Machilipatnam. Addressing media persons on Saturday, he said that Chinta Nancharayya is a close aide of TDP’s former minister Kollu Ravindra and had previous enmity with Bhaskara Rao. With the backing of Kollu Ravindra, Nancharayya had been planning to eliminate Bhaskara Rao since 2013.

In fact, they tried several times in the last four months to kill the YSRCP leader. Kollu Ravindra asked Nancharayya to execute the murder plot while ensuring that his involvement in the conspiracy does not get exposed.

Bhaskara Rao, a close associate of Information Minister Perni Nani, was repeatedly stabbed by three persons including Chintha Chinni in broad daylight in the Machilipatnam fish market on June 29. Later, he succumbed to the stab injuries at the Machilipatnam government hospital.

According to the district SP, Chintha Chinni, after executing the murder, called up Kollu Ravindra's personal assistant and informed that ‘the job has been finished’. Kollu Ravindra asked Chintha Chinni and others to take enough care to evade the police, the police official added.

"We have collected the call data which revealed the role of Kollu Ravindra in the murder,'' he said.

 Ravindra Babu said that Chintha Chinni has spilled the beans about the involvement of Kollu Ravindra in the murder case.

On Friday night. The police have nabbed Kollu Ravindra near Tuni. The TDP former minister was on the run ever since he was named in the Moka Bhaskara Rao murder. 

The SP said that Chinta Chinni, Chinta Nacharayya, Chinta Nagamalleswara Rao, Chinta Vamshi Krishna, Kollu Ravindra, and a minor boy were arrested and booked under sections 302 and 109 of Indian Penal Code (IPC).

“We produced Kollu Ravindra before the court and he was remanded. The probe is on to establish the role of few others in connection with the case,” the police added.