In a major breakthrough, Prakasam district police arrested nine individuals in connection with the brutal contract killing of liquor businessman and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Muppavarapu Veeraiah Chowdary, whose murder shocked Andhra Pradesh.
The incident occurred on the evening of April 22 in Ongole. Veeraiah was reviewing liquor shop accounts at his office in the Shashirekha Agency Building, when four masked assailants stormed in and fatally stabbed him in front of employees. They escaped on a motorcycle and scooty, setting off panic in the area.
Following a complaint by his accountant, police registered a case under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and launched a statewide hunt. Nine suspects were arrested and identified as:
Borlagunta Vinod Kumar (32)
Tuvar Vamsi Krishna alias Jalsa Vamsi (28)
Bellamkonda Venkata Goutham (32)
Mannem Teja alias Bunny (21)
Marturi Kiran Kumar (39)
Sheikh Sameer (22)
Alla Sambasiva Rao alias Sambayya (61)
Veeragandham Devendranath Chowdary (30)
Thota Srinivasa Rao (40)
Three more suspects—Muppa Suresh, Obili Nagaraju, and Golla Ruthyendra Babu alias Naani—remain at large.
Investigators revealed the killing was politically motivated, rooted in rivalries over village leadership, liquor business control, and land disputes. Veeraiah, a former Mandal Parishad president and an influential figure in NG Padu, had long-standing enmity with Sambayya and Muppa Suresh.
Sambayya, allegedly seeking control over local politics, conspired with Vinod Kumar, who blamed Veeraiah for losses in his sand business. In return for waiving a Rs10 lakh debt and a promised reward, Vinod orchestrated the murder, recruiting rowdy elements from Nellore and Hyderabad.
Key players included:
Vamsi Krishna, Teja, and Goutham — hired attackers with criminal backgrounds.
Sameer — arranged getaway vehicles.
Thota Srinivas — tracked the victim’s movements.
The killers conducted reconnaissance trips to Ongole, procured knives, and plotted the ambush. On April 22, they executed the attack after confirming Veeraiah’s presence. Police later recovered seven mobile phones, three knives, two vehicles, and a black bag, with documents linking the suspects to the crime.
During questioning, all arrested suspects confessed to their roles. Police believe the conspiracy is part of a larger web of political violence, and further investigations will probe the source of funding and political links.
Authorities are intensifying efforts to capture the absconding accused and unravel the full extent of the political and financial motives behind the murder.
