(Image source from: The News Minute)

The Nalgonda police on Tuesday presented before the media seven persons who were arrested for the inhumane murder of Perumalla Pranay Kumar in broad daylight at Miryalaguda on September 14.

Those arrested in link with the murder are Amrutha Varshini's father Tirunagari Maruthi Rao, the alleged contract killer Subash Kumar alias Sharma from Bihar, Azgar Ali and Md Abdul Bari, both residents of Nalgonda town, Miryalaguda Town Congress president Abdul Kareem, Maruthi Rao's brother Sravan Kumar and Samudrala Shiva, Maruthi Rao's driver.

Subash Kumar has been identified as the person who attacked Pranay Kumar with a machete outside Jyothi Hospital in Miryalaguda.

Enraged that his daughter Amrutha married a man from a Scheduled Caste, Maruthi Rao belonging to a business community hatched the conspiracy, Nalgonda Superintendent of Police A.V. Ranganath said on Tuesday. The killing of Pranay, 23, was after four failed attempts that included a recce, attacker's confusion, and improper preparation.

And for the Rs 1 crore contract to commit the murder, the girl's father shook hands with the two acquitted in the killing of former Gujarat Home Minister Haren Pandya in 2003 - prime accused Mohammed Azghar Ali and his associate Mohammed Abdul Bari, residents of Nalgonda.

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Pranay was hacked to death last Friday around 1:30 p.m. when he was exiting a private hospital in Miryalaguda, along with his five-month-pregnant wife Amrutha and mother Premalatha.

According to Mr. Ranganath, the love affair of Pranay and Amrutha since school days was opposed by Maruthi Rao as it also disturbed his daughter's education and the boy was also from lower economic strata. They were warned and advised several times by the family, allegedly, including Soma Bharat Kumar and Vemula Veeresham - leaders from Telangana Rashtra Samithi. An inquiry is on to bring out applicable details.

The woman was forced to discontinue her education after Intermediate for one year.

Pranay and Amrutha also discontinued engineering. They got married in Hyderabad on January 30 this year and returned to Miryalaguda.

The plan to kill Pranay was hatched in June when the father got in touch with Bari through the town's Congressman and a transporter Abdul Kareem. On July 10, an advance of Rs 15 lakh was shared among Ali, Bari, and Kareem.

Learning about Amrutha's Friday visit to a local hospital for pre-natal check-ups, Maruthi Rao had also pressured the doctor to abort the pregnancy. But on September 14, after failing several attempts and negotiations failed, the plan was executed, Mr. Ranganath explained.

The accused have been booked for abetment, murder, criminal conspiracy, and under Section 3 (2) of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.

By Sowmya Sangam