AP Transfers NRI Jayaram's Murder Case To Telangana

The Andhra Pradesh police on Wednesday transferred the murder case of Florida-based NRI businessman Chigurupati Jayaram to the Telangana police.

Speaking to the media today, AP Director General of Police R P Thakur said that the decision was taken after consulting legal experts as Jayaram was murdered in Hyderabad but his body was dumped in Andhra Pradesh.

The move came hours after Jayaram's wife Padmasri lodged a complaint with the Jubilee Hills police in Hyderabad demanding that they investigate the case as Jayaram was killed in the city.

The case was transferred to Telangana a day after the Andhra Pradesh police presented the two accused before the media. Rakesh Reddy, a realtor and the principal accused, and his driver Srinivas were presented in a court on Wednesday in Nandigama in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. The court sent the duo to judicial custody for 14 days.

The body of Jayaram, 55, a director of Coastal Bank and also Managing Director of Express TV, a now-defunct Telugu channel, when he was alive, was found on the back seat of his car off the national highway near Nandiagama close to Vijayawada, on January 31. The Andhra Pradesh police said that Jayaram was killed over a monetary dispute - Reddy apparently murdered Jayaram as the latter had failed to repay a Rs 4.5 crore loan. Reddy called Jayaram, who had landed in Hyderabad from the US a few days ago, to a house in Jubilee Hills and murdered him there. He later shifted the body to Jayaram's car and took it to Krishna district, and left it in a field adjoining the national highway to make it appear like an accident. Before shifting the body, Reddy spoke with two police officials of Hyderabad over the phone.

ACP Malla Reddy and CI Srinivasulu, the two officials, were transferred after their names cropped up during the investigation.

Jayaram's wife Padmasri also demanded a probe against his niece Shikha Chowdhary, who was allegedly into relationship with Reddy. Padmasri said that after the murder Chowdhary had barged into their house in Jubilee Hills, and alleged that some key documents and valuables were missing from the house.