The Police, on August 2, arrested a Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) militia member and a sympathiser for their alleged involvement in the recent murder of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader Nalluri Srinivas Rao of Bestha Kotthur village of Charla Mandal (administrative sub-division), from Bhadrachalam agency in Bhadradri Kothagudem District of Telangana, reports Telangana Today. The Police were checking vehicles at Kaliveru Crossroads near Anjanapuram hillock and Peddamidisileru road, when the team spotted two persons moving suspiciously during the inspections, and on seeing the Police, the duo tried to escape, but the Police chased them and arrested them. On questioning, they identified themselves as Jeedigunta Sateesh of Bestha Kotthur and Sodi Unga of Kristarampadu of Charla Mandal. Sateesh is a militia member and Sodi Unga a sympathiser. They confessed to their involvement in the murder of Srinivas Rao, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Rajesh Chandra said, adding that two Maoist banners and 10 posters were seized from Sodi Unga.
Earlier, South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) had reported, Nalluri Srinivas Rao (40), a leader of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), the ruling party in the neighbouring state of Telangana, was allegedly bludgeoned to death with a boulder by CPI-Maoist cadres at Puttapadu village in the Sukma District of Chhattisgarh on July 12, 2019. Srinivas was allegedly abducted by a 15-member Maoist team from his house in Bestha Kotthur village under Charla Mandal in the Bhadrachalam agency of Bhadradri-Kothagudem District on July 8.