Visakhapatnam: Eight year-old Konathala Uday, who was kidnapped on Friday near his residence in the Gavarapalem area of Anakapalle in Vizag district has been murdered.
The body of the boy was found with three fingers of his right hand chopped off near a railway bridge in the Koppaka area of Anakapalle on Sunday. Uday, son of Anakapalle-based financier and agriculturist, Srinivasa Rao was kidnapped by a group of youths for a ransom of Rs 1 lakh.
Three people, including the main accused have been identified and taken into custody by the Anakapalle Town police on Sunday. The body of the boy was found in a bush on the banks of Yeluru canal, after some people detected a foul spell coming from the bushes.
The body was semi-decomposed and the police say that the boy was tortured before being smothered to death with a plastic bag. Police suspect that 20-year-old B. Manoj, a neighbour of the boy, is the main accused in the case. Two others were also involved in the crime. Investigation is on to establish the guilt and reason for the kidnap and murder, said DSP (Anakapalle) A. Purushotham.
Anakapalle Town inspector, G. Chandra said that Uday was kidnapped on Friday at around 11.30 am. At about 7.30 pm the boy’s father Srinivasa Rao received a call on his mobile phone that the boy has been kidnapped. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of Rs 1 lakh. The kidnappers asked Rao to come to the railway station at about 11 pm with the cash. Rao went to the station but didn't find any one.
The kidnap and murder of Uday sparked a protest from the relatives of the boy in front of the police station demanding that the cops reveal the kidnappers’ names and immediately arrest the culprits. The boy’s relatives alleged that the police didn’t handle the case properly.
