In a shocking incident, a man accused of stealing from his own home, murdered his 8-year-old brother-in-law for testifying against him at B Kottapally village, Talupula mandal in Anantapur district on Sunday.
According to inspector Venugopal, Anand (25) from B Kottapally, drowned his brother-in-law Rajashekar after getting angry with the victim for testifying against him in front of family elders.
Anand had earlier stolen a bicycle belonging to a relative, and Rajashekar had witnessed the deed. When the family began searching for the bicycle, Rajashekar revealed that it was Anand who had stolen the vehicle.
Anand felt humiliated at the loss of face in front of family elders, and bore a grudge against his minor brother-in-law.
Inspector Venugopal stated that Anand took the boy to the Gangamma Kalva lake on the outskirts of the village and forcibly drowned him. He threw the body into the lake after the murder.
Police registered a case under section 302 IPC against Anand. Efforts are on to nab him, and further investigations are in progress.