A shocking conspiracy has come to light in Telangana, where police arrested a friend of slain writer Boggula Srinivas for hiring hitmen to eliminate him over a business row.
On February 14, the decomposed remains of the 48-year-old were found strapped inside his car at the bottom of Palair reservoir in Khammam. Fishermen who noticed the submerged vehicle thought it was a tragic accident with the driver escaping. But the head wounds discovered during autopsy raised red flags, leading to an intense murder investigation.
Born in Alluru village, Nandyal, Srinivas gained notoriety with his 2014 book criticizing actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan, which invited death threats. When his body surfaced, relatives rejected the mishap theory, urging police action.
Khammam rural police’s seven-day probe revealed Venu Madhav Reddy as the mastermind. He recruited three assassins—P. Koteshwar Rao, Sheikh Abdul Hafiz, and Ajmat Ali—from Badradri Kothagudem. The hit occurred near Narkatpalli in Nalgonda as Srinivas drove to Vijayawada.
The trigger was a soured financial deal. Madhav Reddy had borrowed Srinivas’s GST credentials for transactions, but pending dues triggered notices. Srinivas’s insistence on immediate cash repayment pushed Madhav to plot his elimination.
Post-murder, the perpetrators shoved the car into the lake to simulate a crash. Assistant Police Commissioner Tirupati Reddy detailed how forensic evidence and tip-offs dismantled the facade. With all accused apprehended, justice appears on the horizon.
Srinivas’s story is a grim reminder of how monetary grudges can turn deadly, particularly amid his history of controversy.