Six individuals were arrested in connection with the abduction and murder of moneylender Venugopal Reddy, a case that shook Proddatur town in Kadapa district last week. The police swiftly apprehended the accused by extensively using technological tools.
Venugopal Reddy, a resident of Bollavaram area in Proddatur, often had disputes with clients who defaulted on loan repayments. On the afternoon of September 19, he was abducted by unidentified miscreants while returning home.
His wife, Prameela Devi, grew suspicious after finding his two-wheeler abandoned on the road with chilli powder sprinkled on it and promptly reported him missing. The police initially registered a missing person case, which was later upgraded to an abduction case.
The Superintendent of Police, Shelke Nachiketh Vishwanath, directed the Deputy Superintendent of Proddatur to form special teams to apprehend the culprits and rescue Venugopal. However, the victim’s body was recovered from the nearby Kundu river, and the investigation shifted to a murder case.
Suspecting the involvement of a builder, V. Lakshmi Reddy (53), and a mechanic, Y. Venkatasubba Reddy (55), the police used Google Takeout data, CCTV footage, and toll plaza registers to zero in on the suspects.
Along with them, four more accused — B. Nagesh (26), L. Ajay Kumar (18), C. Pranay Kumar (20), and K. Sivaprasad (22) — all from Telangana, were arrested.
Presenting the accused to the media, SP Nachiketh Vishwanath revealed that the builder and mechanic held grudges against Venugopal after their properties were attached due to unpaid loans. The two also had a history of conflict, including a physical assault on the moneylender in 2016, as per a previous police case.
