Chittoor Mayor Anuradha Shot Dead, Husband Critical

The Mayor of the Chittoor municipal corporation, Katari Anuradha, was shot dead by unidentified persons today when she was working in her office.

Her husband Mohan, who was sitting beside her, also received serious injuries in the attack, and is undergoing treatment in a hospital. His condition is stated to be critical.

Four to six masked men entered the Mayor's office at around 12 noon carrying bouquets on the pretext of meeting her, and shot her from a close range, killing her on the spot. They then attacked Mohan with knives and injured him critically.

The attackers fled the scene after the incident, but two of them later surrendered to the police at the One Town police station and are being interrogated. An intensive manhunt is on for the others.

The assailants are stated to be hired killers, and are believed to have come from Karnataka.

The mayor couple belongs to the ruling Telugu Desam Party. It is suspected that a group within the Party might be behind the murder. Katari Mohan was an accused in an attempt-to-murder case of Chittoor ex-MLA C K Babu, who is also a TDP leader. It is also learnt that Mohan's family had some disputes with close relatives, which could also be a reason behind the murder of Anuradha. Further investigation is on.

Tension prevailed in Chittoor following the daylight murder of the Mayor. The police imposed Section 144 throughout the town to prevent any untoward incident.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu strongly condemned the murder of Anuradha. He said that the assailants would not be spared at any cost, and that stern action would be taken against them.

"It is a shame that a woman was targeted in a factional feud. It was for the first time that a woman has been murdered in factional history," he remarked.

Nobody would be spared if they tried to take law into their hands, the Chief Minister added.