Hyderabad, January 22: Forty-eight hours before faction leader Maddelacheruvu Suri was shot dead, a telephone call was made to an acquaintance of Pothula Suresh, a trusted aide of slain TDP MLA Paritala Ravi who was arrested in Gujarat recently.
The caller introduced himself as a police officer and “advised” the man to let Suresh know that it wouldn’t be in his interest to apply for bail. “Else, he may unnecessarily become a suspect in a major action (read Suri’s murder) set to take place in a couple of days,” the official warned.
Whether Suresh was aware of the mysterious call is unclear. But the call itself proves that some persons, possibly even police officials, knew about the conspiracy to eliminate Suri to the last detail. Sources said though it was Bhanu, who pulled the trigger, there were quite a few players, including a politician’s son and a former Naxalite close to several police officials, behind the conspiracy.
This, they said, was the reason why the Hyderabad City Police, probing the sensational case, appears to be succumbing to pressures from various quarters. They also pointed at the snail’s pace at which the investigation was progressing to buttress their claim.
The sources associated with the investigation told Express: “The blood trail starts from the badlands of Anantapur, passes through Vijayawada and ends in Hyderabad.”
With Bhanu and his follower Manmohan Singh on the run, and alleged pressure from “influential” biggies, the case as of now seems nothing but a jigsaw puzzle. Manmohan Singh was recently traced to Uttar Pradesh but before the sleuths could go, he had vanished. Investigators believe Manmohan Singh and Bhanu have been staying in different states and that Bhanu is being provided shelter by a former Naxal, known to execute brutal murders at the behest of the police.
The ex-Naxalite, who is suspected of persuading Bhanu to turn covert and kill Suri, might pose a threat to his life, the sleuths fear.
The investigators, though stuck with seemingly insurmountable hurdles, are convinced that several people are involved in the Suri case. “A few mediated between Bhanu and some individuals to clinch the deal. The ex- Naxal played a key role in planning the operation and the escape. Politicians are ensuring that the investigation doesn’t progress,” the sources said.
Efforts to reach Hyderabad CP AK Khan proved futile.
—–Agencies