Chennai: ‘TDP spy’ tortured, killed and body dumped in TN; Janasena leader, husband held

CHENNAI: An investigation that began after a youth’s tortured body was found in the Cooum river led the Chennai police to unearth an alleged political turf war between functionaries of the ruling alliance in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, Telugu Desam Party, and actor-politician Pawan Kalyan's Janasena Party.

Five persons, including the Srikalahasti constituency in-charge for Janasena party, Vinutha Kotaa (31), her husband, Chandrababu (35), were arrested by Chennai police on Saturday for allegedly torturing their former house help to death and dumping his body in Chennai.

On July 8, the Seven Wells police received an alert about a youth's body in the Cooum river. They shifted the body to the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital. After the post-mortem examination confirmed that the youth was murdered, the Seven Wells Police altered the sections to murder and began investigating.

"A car which was observed by locals near where the body was found was already under our purview, and our teams began tracing the identity of the occupants in the vehicle, which led to the accused," said a senior police officer.

The deceased youth was identified as V Srinivasalu alias Rayudu (22). The police probe revealed that Rayudu had been engaged as a helper at Vinutha Kotaa's house since 2019. In March, Vinutha allegedly noticed a mobile phone with the camera on in her bedroom and found out that it belonged to Rayudu.

Vinutha and her husband Chandrababu questioned Rayudu and learnt that Rayudu was allegedly spying for supporters of Srikalahasti MLA Bojjala Sudhir Reddy of the TDP, according to the Chennai police.

Rayudu allegedly took money from the MLA’s confidants and shared Vinutha’s secrets and functioning to the other camp. Allegedly on their insistence, he tried to take private photos of the woman, police quoted Chandrababu as saying.

However, on the advice of Janasena leadership, the couple let off the youth and sent him off with his grandmother on June 21.

Early this month, the couple allegedly summoned the youth again and held him in illegal captivity for four days, during which he was tortured to extract the information he shared with the other camp. Rayudu tried to save himself by locking himself up in the washroom on July 7. But Chandrababu and his driver, Sheik Dasar (23), used a drilling machine to break open the door and in the fury, strangled Rayudu with an iron chain, leading to his death.

Chandrababu, who used to visit Chennai often for medical checkups for his family members, allegedly decided on a spot to dump Rayudu’s body and sought help from three men, including Sivakumar (36), a Janasena Party IT wing functionary. While Chandrababu accompanied his father-in-law to a hospital in Chennai in a car, the three accomplices travelled with Rayudu's body and dumped it in the Cooum river and fled.

After investigations, the Seven Wells Police arrested Vinutha, Chandrababu, Sivakumar (36), Gopi (24), and Sheik Dasar (23).

All the accused were produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody. Further probe is under way.