Five arrested in murder case

Puttaparthi (Sri Satya Sai district): Policehave successfully cracked the murder case involving the beheading of a man near the bypass road in the forest area on the outskirts of Mudigubba.

Dharmavaram DSP Hemant Kumar, along with CI Shiva Ramudu, announced the arrest and remand of five accused individuals in a press conference held on Friday at the Mudigubba Upgraded Police Station.

The arrested individuals have been identified as: Kamatam Katamaiah, 66, Mallanna, native of Garisanapalli village, Bathalapalli mandal. Currently residing near Anant Rural School, Bathalapalli village and mandal. Bettakunda Venkataramanappa @ Ramanappa, 64, from Gajukuntapalli village, OD Cheruvu mandal. Kamatam Ramakrishna, 25, from Errayapalli village, Bathalapalli mandal and Sake Madhubabu, 22, from Errayapalli village in Bathalapalli mandal and Mankamuthaka Shankara, 75, from Shettivaripalli village, ODCheruvu.

A week prior, on the morning of July 3, 2025, around 11:30 am, villagers from Mudigubba discovered a headless male torso in the field of Anke Pawan Kumar, near Chinna Buddam Gutta, adjacent to the bypass road on the outskirts of Mudigubba village.

The head was found approximately 50 metres away from the body, and a new scooter was parked next to the deceased. Based on the scooter and a mobile phone found nearby, the deceased was identified as Bugude Viswanath, 42, S/o B. Ramappa, originally from Erraguntapalli village, Thanakallu mandal, and a resident of Sivalayam Street, Kadiri Town. Preliminary investigation confirmed that unknown assailants brutally murdered Viswanath, severing his head from his body with a sharp weapon.

Following a complaint filed by Viswanath’s wife, Bugude Shyamala, a case was registered at Mudigubba Police Station (Cr.No. 63/2025 U/Sec. 302 IPC) on July 3, 2025, by Inspector of Police G. Sivaramudu who commenced the investigation.

Under the guidance of Sri Satya Sai District SP V Ratna and the supervision of Dharmavaram DSP J Hemant Kumar, Inspector G Sivaramudu led the investigation.

Based on the call data records from the deceased Viswanath’s phone, suspects were identified. On July 10 at 5 pm, the five aforementioned accused were apprehended near the Ralla-Anantapuram cross on the national highway in Mudigubba Mandal. Police seized three sickles, an auto-rickshaw, and mobile phones from them. All accused have been presented before the court and remanded to judicial custody.

The investigation revealed a shocking motive behind Viswanath’s murder. Approximately 20 years ago, Viswanath married Shyamala, the eldest daughter of Bettakunda Venkataramana @ Ramana, from Gajukuntapalli village, ODCheruvu Mandal. Viswanath not only allegedly had an illicit affair with his sister-in-law but also reportedly sold valuable lands owned by his mother-in-law in Gajukuntapalli village, ODCheruvu Mandal.

Unable to bear this humiliation and the loss of his valuable land, Venkataramana @ Ramana allegedly offered a contract of ₹4 lakh to his friend, the first accused, Kamatam Katamaiah, to murder his son-in-law. The fifth accused, Mankamuthaka Shankara, acted as an intermediary in this deal.

As part of the plan, Katamaiah befriended Viswanath over the past four months. Knowing Viswanath needed ₹50,000, Katamaiah lured him to Mudigubba, promising to arrange the money. On July 1, Katamaiah, along with two auto-rickshaw drivers from Bathalapalli, Kamatam Ramakrishna and Sake Madhubabu, took Viswanath to a forest area near the Mudigubba bypass road for consuming alcohol. There, the accused brutally hacked him with sickles, severed his head from his body, and then fled the scene.