Kollu Raveendra arrested in connection with murder of YSRCP leader Moka Bhaskar Rao

Telugu Desam Party leader Kollu Raveendra on Friday has been arrested in connection with the murder of a YSR Congress Party leader Moka Bhaskar Rao in Machilipatnam on June 29. He was arrested after Rao's wife alleged that TDP is behind the murder of her husband.

Rao, a local YSRCP leader was stabbed to death in the Machilipatnam fish market on Monday by two unknown assailants.

Rao's wife, who is associated with the YSR Congress Party, said her husband went to the fish market to get some work done and alleged that the associates of TDP leader Kollu Raveendra brutally killed him.

"My husband was working for all, taking government schemes to the beneficiaries. Not only that he was trying to expose the misdeeds of Kollu Raveendra," she said adding, "The former minister had sold land in the Kumtala pond for Rs 1.5 crores."

Objecting to the arrest of Telugu Desam Party leader, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu said, "Arresting Kollu Raveendra (former Andhra Pradesh Minister) without even preliminary enquiry is evidence of vindictive politics of YSRCP.

Rao's wife accused Raveendra of corruption in welfare pensions and said her husband was digging all such irregularities of the former minister.

"He was exposing Kollu Raveendra in fishermen's villages. There my husband was gradually gaining popularity. Raveendra was unable to digest that and was thinking that he won't survive until my husband is killed. That is the reason he got my husband killed," she alleged.

She further added, "I will go to any extent with the help of our leader Perni N. Kollu Raveendra should get punished, he should get arrested. I am ready to sit on a hunger strike."

Machilipatnam R Peta police station Circle Inspector Venkateswara Rao told that three persons, including a juvenile, have been arrested in connection with the case.

The official said that the name of Raveendra is mentioned in the FIR.

Whereas Former Minister and TDP leader Devineni Umamaheswara Rao accused the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government in the state of conspiring to implicate former Minister Kollu Raveendra in the murder case of YSRCP leader Moka Bhaskar Rao.

Rao alleged that the YSRCP government was targeting the backward and weaker sections leaders of TDP. He said that the ruling government was endlessly acting "political vendetta" against TDP leaders.

Meanwhile, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu took to Twitter and wrote: "The YS Jagan government has become a specialist of sorts in filing false ACB cases, SC/ST Atrocity Act, Nirbhaya and others. It has gone a step further by foisting false murder cases on TDP leaders. It is disgusting to see them frame leaders specifically from the backward classes. Why is Jagan so revengeful with the BCs?"

"Kollu Ravindra, a prominent leader hailing from the backward classes, is now being harassed with a false murder case. If TDP leaders do not yield for money/post, they are threatened, intimidated and then the police come knocking with a fake case in hand," he added.

( With inputs from ANI )