Telangana Congress leader Marelli Anil laid to rest on his birthday; probe widens

Congress leader Marelli Anil was laid to rest in Medak on his birthday, two days after being shot dead by unidentified assailants. Police suspect a contract killing and have launched a multi-State probe, examining call records and a real estate dispute

Medak: The family members and kin of Congress leader Marelli Anil were inconsolable as they laid him to rest on Wednesday, which happened to be his birthday too.

Congress cadres and leaders joined the family in mourning at Pythara village on Wednesday. Anil was shot dead by some unidentified gunmen at Variguntham on Monday night.

---

Meanwhile, police investigation teams have fanned out to different States. One of the teams left for Andhra Pradesh and another for Maharashtra. While one team was investigating in Hyderabad, another was talking to his friends, family members, and party cadres in the Medak district to crack the case.

The police believe contract killers could have been hired by his enemies, and the assailants could have escaped towards Maharashtra after killing him.

Meanwhile, the police have also gone through his phone records, call data, and chats on WhatsApp and other social media platforms to gather the information.

The police said Anil, who attended a party meeting on Monday at Gandhi Bhavan, went to a real estate company’s office in Hyderabad the same evening, where he reportedly had a serious argument with the firm owners over a deal.

The police also spoke to the owner of the Mercedes-Benz car, which Anil was driving at the time of the attack.