3 arrested for murder of NREGS field assistant

Alur (Kurnool district): The Alur police arrested three persons in connection with the murder of Bandari Eeranna, a resident of Arikera village. The accused were produced before media in the presence of Pathikonda DSP B Venkatramaiah at Alur on Thursday.

According to the DSP, the deceased Eeranna had been working as field assistant in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) at Arikera since 2019. After the change of government, three persons, D Gadi Linga, D Vardhan and K Mahesh, set their sights on his job and began pressurising him to resign. They allegedly threatened him with dire consequences if he refused to step down.

Despite their warnings, Eeranna did not quit his job. Angered by his refusal, the three accused plotted to eliminate him. On January 24, they waylaid Eeranna and brutally hacked him to death before fleeing from the scene.

Following a complaint filed by the victim’s wife Bandari Naga Lakshmi, a case was registered under Sections 103 (1), 351(3) read with 3(5) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The three accused were subsequently arrested and remanded to judicial custody, the DSP said.

The DSP also revealed that three more persons, Mangali Gopi, Boggula Eeranna and Boya Ramadasu were arrested for allegedly aiding the crime by pressuring and threatening the victim. Alur inspector of police B Venkata Chalapathy and sub-inspector G Dilip Kumar were also present.