HYDERABAD: A dispute over five acres in Jawaharnagar led to the murder of advocate A Uday Kumar.
Police cracked the case and arrested two persons for the murder on Monday.
Advocate Uday Kumar, 47, who was a resident of AS Rao Nagar, went missing on June 25 afternoon. The next day, police found his car, completely burnt, with his charred body at an open plot in Keesara.
Police said the dispute between Uday and the accused, D Lokesh Babu, 22, a businessman from Chennapuram near Jawaharnagar, over possession of five acres in Jawaharnagar was the motive behind the murder.
Uday Kumar's father Nakuludu, a former serviceman, was given five acres at Jawaharnagar by the government in 1975. "However, subsequently, the state government itself contested the allotment of the land to ex-servicemen at Jawaharnagar Land Colonization Cooperative Society and, due to the ongoing case, the Ranga Reddy district revenue authorities did not issue no objection certificates (NOCs) to any of the land possession holders such as Nakuludu. As a result, people such as Nakuludu could neither cultivate the land nor construct anything on it," assistant commissioner of police (ACP), Alwal, Syed Rafeeq said.
In April 2016, Nakuludu took Rs 25 lakh from Lokesh and gave possession of the five acres in Jawaharnagar to him by signing a promissory note.
Uday came to know about the deal later and he was unhappy with it. According to police, ever since the deal was signed, Uday met Lokesh several times and asked him to cancel the deal. Uday told Lokesh that the market value of the five-acre land was Rs 2 crore and either he had to pay up the money or else cancel the deal.
At about 1.30 PM on Saturday, Uday went to the land at Chennapuram in Jawaharnagar and he found Lokesh alone. "After an altercation, Uday tried to attack Lokesh with a boulder. Lokesh picked up a hunting sickle and attacked him on the neck thrice, killing him on the spot," the ACP said.
After the attack, Uday went to the neighbouring farm, where his friend Suman Reddy, 23, was busy with work. Uday took Suman to the crime scene and sought his help in disposing of the body. The duo covered the body with two gunny bags and shifted it into the back seat of Uday's Maruti 800 car.
Lokesh then went to a nearby fuel station and filled his bike's tank with petrol. He returned to the crime scene and emptied the fuel tank into a plastic container. Subsequently, Lokesh drove the car with the body and the fuel can to an isolated place near Mallanna temple in Keesara Dayara and set the vehicle ablaze with the victim's body inside it, police said.
"While dousing the car and the body with petrol, Lokesh spilled a lot of fuel on his chest and hands. When he lit the match sticks, his hands caught fire and then it spread to the car," the ACP said.
With 40% burns, Lokesh walked back 14 kilometres home and put up with the agonizing pain till Sunday morning. Then, with the help of Suman, he went to Gandhi Hospital for treatment. After the preliminary probe, Keesara police found out about the land dispute. On Monday, cops picked up Suman Reddy from his house.
Based on his confession, police visited the Gandhi Hospital and recorded the statement of Lokesh. He also confessed to have committed the offence.
Cops seized the vehicle registration plates of Uday's car near the crime scene. They were yet to trace the murder weapon. Suman was sent to judicial custody and police would arrest Lokesh after he gets discharged from the hospital.