Civil Services dreams cut short

Constable P. Eshwar Rao, who was stabbed to death by gangsters at Shamirpet, had aimed for civil services, his friends told The Hindu .

A 2011 batch constable, Eshwar hailed from Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, and was presently staying with his sister at Chintal. “Eshwar wanted to become an IPS officer and planned to appear for the UPSC exams. But unfortunately the incident cut short his life,” his brother Ramana Moorthy said.

Eshwar Rao was part of a task force team led by Balanagar DCP which was keeping track of a gang suspected to be circulating counterfeit currency and two members of the gang — Raghu and Naresh from Siddipet were picked up on Friday afternoon and interrogated. The task force team, which learnt about the gang operations, set up a decoy operation and struck a deal with them.

The gangsters set up a rendezvous at Bawarchi Hotel near Majidpur on Rajiv Rahadari, 50 km here, around midnight. The police team with a dozen plainclothes men rushed there. The assailants came in a Bolero car and Eshwar Rao and SI Venkat Reddy walked up to the Bolero, but perhaps sensing that they walked into a trap, attacked the duo with knives, Cyberabad police commissioner C.V. Anand said.

Eshwar suffered deep wounds on the chest and Venkat Reddy too suffered multiple wounds. Reddy whipped out his service weapon and opened fire killing a gang member. As shots rang out, the other plainclothes men closed in but the gangsters jumped sped away in the Bolero.

Eashwar Rao died on the way to hospital. The news of his death shocked his family members.

His colleagues and friends described him as a helpful person and good sportsman. While Eeshwariah’s parents, Mallesh and Shavitamma reside in Salantri village of Sarubujjili mandal in Srikakulam, his elder brother and sister stayed in the city.

Meanwhile, Home Minister, Nayani Narsimha Reddy visited the spot where the incident took place.

Later, he went to the Gandhi mortuary and placed a wreath on the body of Eshwar Rao. He also visited the Yashoda Hospital and enquired about the condition of Venkat Reddy.