Land Dispute Motive Behind Hyderabad Realtors Double Murder

HYDERABAD: Rachakonda Police on Thursday claimed to have cracked the double murder case with the arrest of six persons, just two days after two realtors were shot dead at Karnamguda near Ibrahimpatnam. N Srinivasa Reddy (38)and K Raghavendra Reddy (40) were shot dead near Lake Villa Orchards venture at Karnamguda on March 1.

Rachakonda Commissioner of Police Mahesh Bhagwat in a press meet held on Thursday, said that the police arrested six persons, including prime suspect Mereddy Matta Reddy. He said that the motive behind the realtors’ murder case was a land dispute in the same area where they were shot dead. The prime accused and the mastermind  Mereddy Matta Reddy, joined hands with his watchman Khaja Mohiuddin to eliminate the two realtors.

Apart from Matta Reddy and Khaja, the other four accused were identified as Burri Bikshapathi, Syed Raheem, Sameer Ali, and Raju Khan. Two others, Sonu and Chandan who provided the pistol and live rounds in Bihar are absconding. 

The CP said that Matta Reddy had previous enmity with the victims pertaining to Lake Villa Orchards land located in the limits of Cherlapatelguda village in Rangareddy district and conspired to kill them. The scientific investigation involving CCTV footage and call data records nailed the role of Matta Reddy and five others in the case. He had planned the murder along with his watchman Khaja and procured firearms from Bihar for this purpose.

Matta Reddy had purchased a few plots in a layout venture theren 2014 and 2018. Next to the venture, Srinivas Reddy was also developing a few plots in the name of his driver D Krishna by virtue of agricultural land lease agreement from the landowners and with the help of the other victim Raghavendra Reddy. Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh M Bhagwat said that Srinivas Reddy tried to take undue advantage due to the absence of the actual plot owners in the adjacent venture. Recently, Matta Reddy erected a fence around the plots belonging to his share to which Srinivas Reddy objected as he claimed its ownership on account of the agricultural land lease agreement.

This did not go down well with Matta Reddy, who was making money by alienating the plots on a commission basis. Srinivas Reddy also warned him to keep away from the venture, since he took up development works in its close proximity. Matta Reddy then decided to eliminate Srinivas Reddy, Bhagwat said.

Matta Reddy allegedly offered his watchman Khaja and a farmer named Bhikshapathi to help him eliminate Srinivas Reddy and Raghavendra. He offered a sum of Rs.1 lakh and house plots worth several lakhs to them for this purpose. Khaja roped in his relative Syed Raheem and another suspect Sameer Ali who helped them procure a firearm from Chandan Sivan and Sonu in Bihar.

On  Tuesday morning, Srinivas Reddy and  RaghavendraReddy visited their venture in an SUV which was driven by Srinivas Reddy. Khaja and Bikshapathi stopped the car and after confirming the identities of the victims, opened fire at them. Khaja first tried to shoot Srinivas Reddy, but he somehow managed to get out of the car and started running.  He was chased by Khaja who fired at him from a close range and shot him in the head and face, causing his death on the spot,” Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh M Bhagwat said. Raghavendra Reddy meanwhile tried to escape in the car by getting into the driving seat, and Bikshapathi allegedly shot him in the chest and that’s when the car swerved to the side and stopped. The assailants fled from the spot after committing the crime.

The Ibrahimpatnam police rushed to the spot after passersby called and informed them about the car and the body which was lying nearby. They immediately shifted Raghavendra to a private hospital at BN Reddy Nagar when he told them that he had been shot. He later died while undergoing treatment, Mahesh Bhagwat added.

Both  Raghavendra Reddy, Srinivas Reddy, and Matta Reddy had criminal backgrounds. Matta Reddy had changed his name from Mereddy Ashok Reddy to evade police records as he was involved in cheating cases and was arrested and jailed earlier. Srinivas Reddy was involved in an assault case and  Raghavender Reddy was earlier convicted and sentenced in the murder of a woman advocate and had come out from jail.

Also Read: Hyderabad: Two Realtors Chased And Shot Dead Over Land Dispute Near Ibrahimpatnam