Man sentenced to life for murdering gangster in 2011

A local court on Tuesday sentenced a 43-year-old man to life imprisonment in a 2011 case related to the murder of a gangster here.

First Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge K Suneetha convicted Malishetty Bhanu Kiran of murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment. He also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000.

The court also found him guilty under the relevant sections of the Arms Act and awarded 10 years rigorous imprisonment besides slapping an additional fine of Rs 20,000.

Bhanu Kiran had allegedly shot dead Gangula Suryanarayan Reddy alias Maddelacheruvu Suri, a "faction leader" (as gangsters are known in local parlance) from Anantapur district in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, at Yousufguda here on January 3, 2011 while accompanying him in car.

The convict was a close aide of Suri, prime accused in the murder of TDP MLA Paritala Ravi in 2005.

He killed Suri as the latter had allegedly reprimanded him in front of others.

According to the prosecution, Bhanu Kiran shot dead Suri. Apart from Bhanu Kiran, another accused in the case, Manmohan Singh Bhadauria (38), was also convicted by the court and sentenced to two concurrent terms of five-year imprisonment under IPC sections 212 (harbouring offender) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence).

However, as he had been in judicial custody since his arrest in January 2011, the sentence period was set off.

Four other accused in the case were acquitted by the court for lack of evidence.

Bhanu Kiran was arrested by a CID team on the outskirts of the Zaheerabad town in Medak district on April 21, 2012. He is presently lodged in the Chanchalguda Central Prison here.

Bhadauria was charged with supplying the weapon to Bhanu Kiran and helping him in fleeing the city after the incident.