In less than 24 hours of gruesome killing of three persons of a family, the Warangal police on Wednesday arrested six persons in the case.
Among the arrested was the prime accused and conspirator Mohammed Shafi, 51, who was charged with killing his elder brother Mohammed Chand Pasha, and the latter’s wife and brother-in-law. Other arrested persons included Boyini Venkanna, 45, Md. Sajid, 32, Ragula Vijender, 35, Md. Mira Akbar, 40, and Md. Pasha, 37.
Hunting sickles, petrol chain saw, two auto-rickshaws and a bike used by the accused were seized from them, Warangal Police Commissioner Tarun Joshi said at a press conference.
Shafi and his elder brother Pasha were jointly into cattle trade.
They would purchase cattle from villagers surrounding Warangal and sell them. In the past few years, they slipped into debts and had to pay money to farmers from whom they purchased cattle.
As creditors and others began mounting pressure on them, Shafi wanted his brother to clear the ₹1.20 crore debt. This created a rift between them. Accusing his elder brother of evading paying the debts, Shafi quarrelled with him many times and eventually decided to eliminate him.
Accompanied by five of his accomplices, Shafi went to Pasha’s house in the early hours of Wednesday. By cutting open the doors with petrol chain saw, they gained entry inside and attacked Pasha’s family inflicting wounds with hunting sickles leaving three of them dead on the spot.
Pasha’s two sons too sustained injuries in the attack but they are recuperating in a hospital. The accused were presented before a court and remanded in judicial custody.
