Congress SC leader Anil shot dead in Medak

Congress SC Cell leader Marelli Anil was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Medak’s Variguntham village. Four bullets were fired. Police suspect land disputes. CCTV footage showed two cars following him. Four special teams have been formed to investigate.

Medak:  In a sensational incident, Congress SC Cell district secretary Marelli Anil (28) was shot dead by unidentified miscreants who had been following him in two separate cars at Variguntham village on Monday night around 8 pm.

Based on the empty cartridges found at the crime spot and the number of bullet wounds on his body, police confirmed that the assailants fired four rounds at him, all of which hit the target.

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CCTV footage from a rice mill located on the Medak–Jogipet road near Variguntham revealed that the assailants were trailing Anil in two cars. When his car reached the spot, one of the two cars overtook and slowed down in front of him. A person from the front car got down, approached Anil, and shot him from close range.

While the front car proceeded towards Jogipet, leaving the shooter behind, the second car, which had stopped behind Anil’s vehicle, picked up the shooter and took a U-turn towards Medak. In an attempt to escape, Anil tried to accelerate, but his car veered off the road and slipped into a roadside agricultural field. The entire incident occurred in about a minute.

Passersby and two-wheeler riders stopped after noticing the car in the field with its lights still on. Seeing the driver bleeding from the shoulder, they assumed it was an accident. They alerted 108 and shifted him to the government hospital in Medak, where doctors discovered bullet injuries on his shoulder. Police later returned to the scene and recovered four empty bullet cartridges.

A large number of Congress workers and Anil’s relatives gathered at the Medak hospital on Tuesday morning after learning about the incident. His parents alleged that some people from their native Pythara village in Medak had developed a grudge against Anil due to his recent financial rise.

Anil, who had been in the real estate business for the past six years, was reportedly involved in several major land deals. He was said to have serious disputes with the owner of a leading real estate company over a land parcel in Hyderabad. He also allegedly had differences with the kin of an Andhra Pradesh MLA over another land issue.

Anil was using a Mercedes Benz car, which was reportedly taken forcibly from a Hyderabad-based real estate businessman. Speaking to reporters in Medak, SP DV Srinivas Rao said four special teams had been formed to trace the assailants. He added that the CCTV footage was being examined. Anil was on his way home from Hyderabad when the incident occurred.