Bhanu surfaces at last

                                                                           
HYDERABAD: More than 15 months after he vanished after the sensational murder of Anantapur faction leader Gangula Suryanarayana Reddy alias Suri, the Crime Investigation Department (CID) produced key suspect Malishetty Bhanu Kiran alias Bhanu in public, claiming to have arrested him on Saturday.

They said the fugitive travelled across six states in the country to evade arrest. A .32 revolver and six rounds of bullets were seized from him.

Presenting a smiling Bhanu before the media, SV Ramana Murthy, additional director-general of police in the CID, said they laid a trap for Bhanu upon coming to know that he was coming to Andhra Pradesh from Pondicherry to pick up money from someone. However, sources said Bhanu gave himself up.

According to Ramana Murthy, as many as six teams of the CID were positioned in and around Zaheerabad in Medak district to spring the trap on Bhanu. As the fugitive reached a dhaba near Zaheerabad at about 10 a.m. on Saturday, CID sleuths pounced on him. “We learnt that Bhanu was coming from Pondicherry to collect some money from someone. After killing Suri and fleeing, this was the first time he had returned to these parts,” he added.

CID officials produced Bhanu Kiran before the Magistrate at West Maredpally. He was remanded to judicial custody till May 4 and he was� then shifted to prison.

Bhanu is said to be involved as many as 15 cases, including Suri’s murder and several cases of extortion and land settlement. Of these 15, the CID is investigating nine including Suri’s murder. One case was booked in Vijayawada and five within Hyderabad and Cyberabad police commissionerate limits.

Bhanu is accused of shooting Suri dead with a .32 revolver in a Skoda Fabia at Navodaya Colony near Yousufguda in Hyderabad on Jan. 3, 2011. After the murder, he fled with the aid of his associates Manmohan Singh, Sulam Subbaiah, Venkata Hari Babu and Boya Venkata Ramana and others. The other suspects were arrested by the Central Crime Station. The case was transferred to the CID while Bhanu remained at large.

“Bhanu killed Suri with a .32 revolver that belonged to Manmohan Singh. He carried the same weapon with him and his gun licence, obtained from Khammam district, had been transferred to Odisha,’’ Ramana Murthy said. He said the help of the Vijaywada police would be sought for further investigation in the cases against Bhanu.

The CID clarified that they did not come across any link between Bhanu and home minister P Sabitha Indra Reddy’s son Karthik Reddy. The home minister ridiculed the TDP, saying that if they have any evidence against her son, she was willing to have the matter probed.

 from ibn live