Anantapur district police have solved the murder of a Ballari resident by using scientific forensic evidence, technical analysis, and inter-state coordination, leading to the arrest of two accused. The investigation began after the charred body of an unidentified man was found in agricultural fields near Pulakurthi village in D. Hirehal mandal on June 23. Acting on the instructions of Superintendent of Police P. Jagadeesh, a special investigation team was formed to crack the case.
The breakthrough came when forensic experts recovered a partially burnt packet of papads from the crime scene. Investigators traced the packet to its manufacturer in Chennai and then to a distributor in Ballari, helping identify the victim as Gururaj Rao, a deaf and mute papad vendor and temple priest who had been reported missing. Police also tracked the use of the victim’s ATM card after his death and analysed CCTV footage from ATMs, which led them to the suspects.
The accused, identified as Basavaraju and Kotresh, both residents of Ballari and also deaf and mute, were arrested near Obulapuram Cross on Wednesday. With the help of sign-language interpreters, police recorded their confession. According to investigators, the two allegedly planned to rob Gururaj Rao, intoxicated him, threw chilli powder into his eyes, strangled him with a rope, and later set his body on fire using petrol in an attempt to destroy evidence.
