Srikakulam man's murder: wife among 10 arrested, says DSP
G. Chandrayya (42) of Bobbilipeta was murdered on January 25 near Jagguvani Cheruvu in Amadalavalasa mandal of Srikakulam district, DSP Ch Vivekananda said on Saturday. Police said his wife Eswaramma and Chintada Balamuralikrishna, with whom she had a relationship, planned the killing and hired seven youths from Uppinavalasa. After three failed attempts, Chandrayya was beaten with a beer bottle and sticks and strangled with a gunny sack. Ten accused, including the wife, were arrested and remanded.
Source
Srikakulam — నేరాలు · read the original report ↗
Desk check · compared with the source
What the desk checked (5)
- G. Chandrayya (42) of Bobbilipeta was killed on January 25 near Jagguvani Cheruvu in Amadalavalasa mandal. — Attributed to DSP Ch Vivekananda in the source; figures and date appear in the source.
- His wife Eswaramma planned the killing with Chintada Balamuralikrishna, with whom she had an extramarital relationship. — Police claim as stated by the DSP; allegation not yet tested in court.
- Seven youths from Uppinavalasa were hired and had failed in three earlier attempts. — Appears in source as part of the police account; no independent corroboration available.
- Balamuralikrishna phoned Eswaramma afterwards saying her husband was no longer a trouble to her. — Reported in source as part of the police version; quote attributed to the accused via police.
- Ten accused including the wife were arrested and remanded after being produced in court on Saturday. — Attributed to the DSP; figure appears in the source.
Analysts’ view opinion
At this stage this is a police investigation narrative, not a judicially established set of facts — the DSP's account consists of allegations. If the alleged sequence (a conspiracy, a contract payment, three failed attempts, then the killing) is proved, principles of common intention, abetment and criminal conspiracy would expose the alleged planners to liability on par with those who struck the blows. Arrest, production before court and remand appear to follow ordinary procedure; the real test is whether the evidence holds up at trial.
- Remand is a custodial step, not a finding of guilt; the accused retain the presumption of innocence and the right to contest a charge sheet at trial.
- Those alleged to have planned the crime can be held liable even if absent from the scene, under common intention, abetment and conspiracy provisions.
- The alleged missing-person complaint by the wife and the phone contact would be significant circumstantial evidence, but call data and forensic links must be independently established.
- With ten co-accused, how far one person's statement can be used against another is limited by evidence law — confessions made to police carry restricted value.
- The moralising framing in the coverage about extramarital relationships is legally irrelevant; culpability turns on intention, act and proof.
What to watch — Watch how firmly the post-mortem findings, call records and recoveries are pleaded in the charge sheet, and how courts treat the bail applications of the various accused.
The story does not establish guilt, nor does it record the accused's version, their legal representation, or whether a charge sheet has been filed.
Deep dive
Research brief · 8 facts · 7 dates · exam-readyThe brief
Context
G. Chandrayya, a 42-year-old man from Bobbilipeta village in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, was found dead near Jagguvani Cheruvu (tank) in Amadalavalasa mandal on January 25. Police investigation concluded it was a planned murder: his wife Eswaramma, who was in an extramarital relationship with Chintada Balamuralikrishna of the same village, allegedly conspired with him after Chandrayya learnt of the affair. DSP Ch. Vivekananda disclosed the case details on Saturday, saying ten accused including the wife had been arrested and remanded.
Key facts
- G. Chandrayya, 42, of Bobbilipeta village was murdered on January 25 near Jagguvani Cheruvu in Amadalavalasa mandal, Srikakulam district.
- Police say his wife Eswaramma planned the killing along with Chintada Balamuralikrishna of Bobbilipeta, with whom she had an extramarital relationship.
- Balamuralikrishna's relative (younger brother-figure) Aravind was part of drawing up the plan, according to police.
- Seven youths from Uppinavalasa village were hired (given 'supari') to carry out the killing.
- The hired men failed in three earlier attempts on Chandrayya's life before the January 25 attack.
- At about 7 p.m. on January 25, Eswaramma phoned Muralikrishna to say Chandrayya had left home; the group attacked him with a beer bottle on the head as he rode a two-wheeler.
- He was beaten with sticks even after trying to escape by jumping into the tank, and was then strangled with a gunny sack tied around his neck.
- Ten accused, including the wife, were arrested, produced in court on Saturday and sent to remand, DSP Ch. Vivekananda said.
Timeline
- Some time before the murderEswaramma and Chintada Balamuralikrishna of Bobbilipeta were in an extramarital relationship; Chandrayya came to know of it.
- Before January 25Seven youths from Uppinavalasa were hired; they attempted to kill Chandrayya three times and failed.
- January 25, around 7 p.m.Eswaramma informed Muralikrishna by phone that Chandrayya had left home.
- January 25, nightThe group waiting at Jagguvani Cheruvu hit Chandrayya with a beer bottle, beat him with sticks and strangled him with a gunny sack, then fled.
- After the killingMuralikrishna phoned Eswaramma saying her husband's trouble was over; she filed a missing-person complaint at the local police station.
- After locals found the bodyLocals informed police, a case was registered and the investigation cracked the conspiracy.
- Saturday (day of DSP's disclosure)All 10 accused produced in court and sent to remand; DSP Ch. Vivekananda briefed the media.
Who has a stake
- G. Chandrayya (deceased, 42) — Victim of the planned murder near Jagguvani Cheruvu on January 25.
- Eswaramma (wife, accused) — Named as the main conspirator; arrested and remanded after filing a false missing-person complaint.
- Chintada Balamuralikrishna and Aravind — Accused of planning the murder; Balamuralikrishna allegedly in a relationship with Eswaramma.
- Seven youths of Uppinavalasa — Accused contract killers who allegedly executed the murder after three failed attempts.
- Srikakulam district police — Investigating agency; DSP Ch. Vivekananda announced the arrests and commended CI Satyanarayana and SIs Balaraju, Satyanarayana, Pravallika and Haimavathi.
- Bobbilipeta and Uppinavalasa villages — Communities affected by the killing and the arrest of ten local residents.
Why it matters
The case shows how a domestic dispute escalated into an organised contract killing involving ten people, including hired youths from a neighbouring village. It also illustrates how a false missing-person complaint was used to mislead police, and how routine investigation after locals found the body unravelled the conspiracy.
UPSC angle
Prelims pointers
- G. Chandrayya (42) of Bobbilipeta was murdered on January 25 near Jagguvani Cheruvu, Amadalavalasa mandal, Srikakulam district (Andhra Pradesh).
- Ten accused, including the victim's wife Eswaramma, were arrested and remanded; DSP Ch. Vivekananda briefed on Saturday.
- Seven youths of Uppinavalasa village were hired as contract killers; three earlier attempts failed.
- Weapons/means used as per police: beer bottle, sticks and a gunny sack for strangulation.
- Officers commended: CI Satyanarayana; SIs Balaraju, Satyanarayana, Pravallika and Haimavathi.
- The accused wife initially lodged a missing-person complaint at the local police station.
Mains framing
The Srikakulam murder illustrates how personal and marital conflict can transform into organised crime when a relationship dispute is resolved through hired killers rather than legal or social remedies. The source shows a layered conspiracy: an extramarital relationship discovered by the husband, planning by the wife and her partner along with a relative, 'supari' given to seven youths of another village, three failed attempts, and finally a brutal killing using a beer bottle, sticks and a gunny sack, followed by a deliberately misleading missing-person complaint. Implications are twofold: it points to the ease with which contract killings can be arranged in rural settings, and to the investigative burden on district police, who in this case reconstructed the sequence after locals discovered the body and secured remand for all ten accused. The way forward, as far as the source supports, lies in prompt registration and thorough probe of missing-person complaints, scrutiny of call records and local networks, and recognition of field-level policing work, of the kind the DSP commended. Beyond enforcement, the case underlines the need for family counselling and dispute-resolution avenues so that marital breakdown does not become a motive for murder.
Key terms
- DSP
- Deputy Superintendent of Police, a sub-divisional police officer; here Ch. Vivekananda, who disclosed the case details.
- Supari
- Colloquial term for a contract or payment given to hire someone to commit a killing; here given to seven Uppinavalasa youths.
- Remand
- Judicial custody ordered by a court after the accused are produced before it; all 10 accused were remanded on Saturday.
- Mandal
- An administrative sub-district unit in Andhra Pradesh; the crime occurred in Amadalavalasa mandal of Srikakulam district.
- CI / SI
- Circle Inspector and Sub-Inspector, station-level police ranks; CI Satyanarayana and four SIs were commended for cracking the case.
Practice questions
- Trace the sequence of events in the Bobbilipeta murder case as disclosed by the Srikakulam DSP, and explain how police established that it was a planned killing.
- Contract killings in rural India often begin as private disputes. Discuss the policing and social measures needed to prevent such escalation, with reference to this case.
- How do missing-person complaints intersect with homicide investigation? Examine using the Srikakulam case, where the accused wife herself reported her husband missing.
Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.