Hyderabad: Five people who were allegedly involved in setting fire to a house in Mancherial district in Telangana were arrested by the Ramagundam police on Tuesday.
The five accused including a surveyor and former Singareni Coaleries Company Limited (SCCL) employee, allegedly set the house on fire, leading to the death of six people, including two children on December 17.
The accused were identified as a private surveyor M Laxman (42), a tractor driver S Ramesh (36), a brick kiln worker V Sammiah (34), an ex-Singareni Collieries employee A Anjaiah (60) and a housewife S Srujana (43).
Ramagundam police commissioner S Chandrasekhar Reddy said that they arrested the accused from different places adding that they confessed to the crime during interrogation.
People who were charred to death in the fire included a couple (Sivaiah and Rajyalaxmi), one of their friends (an SCCL employee, Santaiah), their niece (Mounika) and her two children (a three year and an 18-month-old).
Background of the Mancherial arson case
Police said that four of the five accused have a criminal record and that the accused Laxman had an affair with the deceased, Santaiah’s wife Srujana, while Santaiah had an affair with Padma.
Police said, “Srujana (one of the accused) and Santaiah (the deceased and Srujana’s husband) were frequently quarrelling about his extra marital affair with Padma. Santaiah told Srujana and her family that he would leave his money and property to Padma and not them.”
Santaiah used to live with Padma’s family. Srujana along with her father, Anjaiah convinced Laxman to eliminate Santaiah by offering him land and money as bribes. Laxman roped in Ramesh by offering him Rs 4 lakh.
Sammaiah, a neighbour of the victims, was later roped in to inform the accused about the whereabouts of the victims. He was offered Rs 1.5 lakh.
Earlier, the accused purchased a four-wheeler to kill Santaiah in a road accident but failed twice in their attempt, police said.
Later, on Friday night, Laxman along with Ramesh and Sammaiah purchased four cans of petrol and later left the place after dropping Ramesh and Sammaiah near Sivaiah’s house.
Ramesh and Sammaiah poured petrol into Sivaiah’s house and set it ablaze.
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