Software techie burnt alive in car over brother’s illicit affair near Tirupati

TIRUPATI: A software techie had to pay the ultimate price with his life for an alleged illicit affair of his brother in Tirupati district. Nagaraju, a software professional in Bengaluru, was burnt alive in his car as part of a murder plot near Gangudupalli of Chandragiri in the district on Sunday. One person, identified as Rippunjaya, was arrested on suspicion of his involvement in the murder. The other accused in the case, Chanakya, the sarpanch of Brahmanapalli and the suspected mastermind of the murder, and two others are absconding.

Miscreants, suspectedly owing allegiance to Chanakya, the sarpanch Nagaraju’s native village Brahmanapalli, poured petrol on the techie’s car when he was inside and set it on fire. Trapped inside, Nagaraju was charred to death.

The police, alerted by the locals, rushed to the scene of offence, found the body burnt beyond recognition inside the car. Based on the items recovered from the ill-fated car and its registered number plate, the police were able to establish that it was Nagaraju who was killed in the incident.

The family and relatives alleged that Nagaraju was killed in cold by Chanakya and his gang. Based on the inputs provided by the family, the police suspect that an alleged illicit affair of Nagaraju’s brother Purushottam with a woman of the sarpanch’s family had led to the gruesome killing. The two families were involved in heated arguments and feuds over the issue in the last one week.

Incidentally, Sunday’s incident happened within hours of Chanakya taking Nagaraju out under the pretext of finding a compromise over the dispute. It is learnt that Purushottam had an extra-marital affair with the wife of Chanakya’s brother, thus becoming the reason for the skirmishes between the two families. After the two families sparred over the incident on Sivaratri day, a ‘panchayat’ meeting was held to settle the matter peacefully.

Against this backdrop, Chanakya took Nagaraju out, promising to find a compromise on Sunday. He, along with his associates, is suspected to have burnt the latter alive inside his car. Nagaraju’s wife later alleged that Chanakya, along with Gopi, Ruppenjaya and Subrahmanyam, had killed her husband. Based on her complaint, the police apprehended Ruppenjaya and launched a manhunt for the others.