A Vijayawada court today delivered its verdict in the Naga Vaishnavi murder case that had created a sensation across the state eight years back.
The court sentenced the accused to life imprisonment.
Describing the murder as amongst the worst and most contemptible acts, the court imposed life imprisonment on A-1 Morla Srinivasa Rao, A-2 Jagadeesh and A-3 Palagani Prabhakar Rao's brother-in-law Pandi Venkata Rao Goud.
The court said that the crime was proved to be both a kidnap and a murder.
The murder of Palagani Naga Vaishnavi took place in 2010. BC leader and liquor businessman Palagani Prabhakar married his sister's daughter Venkataramamma. They have a son named Durga Prasad.
After a few years, Prabhakar got married again to one Narmada of Nizamabad district. The couple had Sai Thejas and Naga Vaishnavi as children.
Prabhakar apparently believed that his fate changed for the better after the birth of Naga Vaishnavi, and reportedly started treating her specially, and naming businesses after her and having several assets in her name.
This lead to first wife Venkatramanamma's brother Pandi Venkata Rao developing animosity for the girl. He decided to kill Naga Vaishnavi, ten years old then, and entered into an agreement with his cousin Srinivasa Rao to pay Rs 1 crore for the murder.
Srinivasa Rao kidnapped Vaishnavi and killed her on January 30, and burnt the body to flyash in a boiler.