Visakhapatnam: The principal accused in the murder of a Vizag 36 year-old yoga teacher, from Marripalem VUDA layout, on Friday night, himself fell prey to a violent knife-attack on Sunday morning. Kilaparthi Venkataramana, a local journalist, who was identified as the main accused in the killing of the Marripalem yoga teacher, was attacked with knives by unknown assailants.

It may be recalled that the yoga teacher, working in Vietnam, Polamarasetti Venkata Ramana, was brutally murdered on Friday night by four assailants in an attack close to National Highway-16, which was captured on CCTV surveillance cameras. He is survived by his ex-wife, current live-in partner and a two year-old son. The murder sent shock waves through the city.

The motive was not clearly established, but centred on two aspects. The first was the yoga teacher’s estrangement from his wife Satyaveni, whom he had divorced. He developed a close relationship with his current live-in partner, Padma, also a yoga and dance teacher.

Another reason cited was the stiff competition he posed professionally to the son of the accused, who was also a yoga teacher in Vietnam. The deceased yoga teacher could not return to Vietnam as his passport had been impounded by the authorities following a case on account of a dispute with the accused, Kilaparthi Venkata Ramana, a local journalist with a vernacular newspaper, whose son Eswara Rao faced stiff competition as a yoga teacher in Vietnam from the deceased Polamarasetti Venkataramana.

Police have registered a case and have shifted the victim to KG Hospital.