'Papad' Packet Helps Crack Murder Mystery: Hearing Impaired Friends Arrested For Killing Man For Money In Andhra Pradesh

Rayadurgam: A packet of papads turned out to be the crucial clue that helped police solve the mystery behind the murder of an unidentified man whose charred body was found in a remote area near Pulakurthi in D. Hirehal mandal in Andhra Pradesh.

Investigators arrested two hearing-impaired men, who allegedly murdered their friend for money before setting his body on fire in an attempt to destroy evidence.

The breakthrough was announced on Wednesday by Kalyandurgam DSP Ravibabu and Rayadurgam Circle Inspector Venkataramana, who said meticulous investigation and scientific evidence led to the arrest of the accused.

According to police, they received an information on June 23 about a totally charred body lying in an isolated area near Pulakurthi.

Since the victim could not be identified immediately, a murder case was registered, and four special investigation teams were constituted on the directions of the Superintendent of Police.

During the examination of the crime scene, investigators found a partially burnt Kannada newspaper, a packet of papads, and a sacred thread (jandhyam).

While the newspaper and other articles offered limited leads, the papad packet became the turning point in the investigation.

Police traced the manufacturer of the papads to Chennai and later identified that the particular batch had been supplied to Ballari in Karnataka.

Based on this information and further field investigation, the deceased was identified as 60-year-old Gururaja Rao, a resident of Sanganakallu near Ballari.

Investigators also found that his family had reported him missing two days before the body was found.

The investigation revealed that Gururaja Rao and the two accused, Basavaraju, a resident of Sanjeevarayuni Kota in Ballari district, and Kotresh from Mincheri, were close friends. All three were hearing-impaired.

Since communicating with them was a challenge, police took the assistance of special educators to question the accused and gather evidence.

According to the police, the accused targeted Gururaja Rao after learning that he was carrying cash.

On June 22, they allegedly took him to a secluded spot near Pulakurthi, forced him to consume alcohol, threw chilli powder into his eyes to prevent resistance, strangled him with a rope, and then set the body on fire to conceal the crime.

After committing the murder, the accused allegedly fled to Ballari on the victim's two-wheeler and used his ATM card to withdraw money.

CCTV footage, ATM transaction details, and other digital evidence helped investigators establish their movements after the crime.

Police arrested both accused and seized the victim's two-wheeler, ATM card, CCTV footage, and the papads Gururaja Rao had reportedly brought to sell.

Addressing the media, police said the seemingly insignificant papad packet proved to be the key piece of evidence that led investigators from the crime scene in Andhra Pradesh to the victim's hometown in Karnataka, ultimately helping unravel the murder conspiracy.

The accused have been remanded to judicial custody, and further investigation is underway.

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