A 49-year-old man is said to have killed six people in a family, including two children, in the village of Pendurthy Mandal in Juttada on the outskirts of town on Thursday morning, in revenge for the alleged rape of his daughter.
The killings have shocked the villagers. The victims’ relatives and local residents protested, demanding that the accused be hanged immediately.
The defendant Battina Appalaraju allegedly attacked the six people with a scythe. All of them died on the spot.
The deceased were identified as: Bammidi Ramana (57), Bammidi Usha Rani (30), Allu Ramadevi (53), mother of Usha Rani, Nakettlu Aruna (37), a relative of Usha Rani, Bammidi Uday (4) and Bammidi Urvasi (6 months), both children of Usha Rani and Vijay Kiran.
Usha Rani, who lived in Vijayawada with her husband Vijay Kiran and their children, came to see her father-in-law Ramana in Juttada to take the MPTC surveys and stayed in the village to attend a wedding.
Appalaraju went to the house early in the morning and, according to sources, killed them one by one.
Counter complaints
Appalaraju had a grudge against Vijay Kiran, 30, for allegedly raping his daughter after giving her a soft drink and tea mixed with intoxicants several times before April 9, 2018. The victim had filed a complaint with the police on the above date alleging that Vijay Kiran called her home and had sexual intercourse with her after giving her beverages containing intoxicants, according to police.
She also alleged that Vijay Kiran’s wife Usha Rani blackmailed her by showing her photos and asking for money. In her complaint, she also named four other people to work with the main accused, the police said.
A charge sheet was filed by police on January 31, 2019, and the case is pending.
Usha Rani filed a counter-trial with Pendurthy police on April 10, 2018, alleging that Battina Appalaraju, Battina Srinu, Battina Gowrish and Battina Sanyasi Rao had abused them in obscene language and threatened to kill their husband. In this case, a charge sheet was filed on August 20, 2018 and is still pending trial.
Police Commissioner Manish Kumar Sinha visited the scene.
Pendurthy Police have taken the defendant into custody and are investigating the case.