Hyderabad court sentences gangster Suri's murderer to life imprisonment

Hyderabad, Dec 18 (IANS) A Hyderabad court on Tuesday sentenced to life Bhanu Kiran, a prime accused in the murder of gangster Gangula Suranarayana Reddy alias Maddelachervu Suri.

The court sentenced another accused Manmohan Singh Bhadauria to five years but acquitted four others.

The judgement came nearly eight years after Suri, a key accused in former Andhra Pradesh Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Paritala Ravi's murder, was shot dead in a car in the city. 

The incident had created a flutter in then undivided Andhra Pradesh.

Bhanu, an aide of Suri, shot him dead while they were returning home after meeting a lawyer on January 3, 2011. He killed Suri following differences over some financial matters. 

Bhanu was arrested by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) in 2012. His other associates were arrested subsequently.

Suri, a Congress leader involved in several criminal cases in the faction-ridden Anantapur district, was key accused in the killing of Paritala Ravi, who was gunned down in Anantapur town Jan 24, 2005.

The factional rivalry between the families of Ravi and Suri had hit the national headlines in 2010 following the release of "Rakta Charitra", a multilingual film by Ram Gopal Varma.

Reacting to court verdict, Suri's widow Bhanumati said Bhanu Kiran should have been sentenced to death. She said Bhanu had taken Rs 1 crore from Suri's enemies to kill him.