Kshatriya Ram Singh and Rani Bai were arrested and remanded Monday in judicial custody along with four of the five alleged killers for the murder of Sai Ram, 26, a college dropout who was strangled.
His body was dumped in Musi in Suryapet on October 18 and found a day later. One of the alleged killers is absconding. CCTV footage which showed the family car used in the crime led the police to the couple, who never lodged a missing complaint. The pa- rents were later found to have used the same car to go to the mortuary to identify their son’s body on October 25.
Ram Singh is the principal of a government gurukul in Maripeda Bangla village and the couple’s daughter is settled in the US. Cops said Sai Ram used to abuse and beat up his parents when they refused money for alcohol. Family members said they had sent him to a rehabilitation centre in Hyderabad, but it didn’t help.
According to Huzurabad circle inspector Rama Linga Reddy, the couple so- ught help from Rani Bai’s brother Satyanarayana to have their son killed. Satyanarayana roped in R Ravi, D Dharma, P N0agaraju, D Sai and B Rambabu, all from Miryalaguda mandal, to carry out the murder.
The couple paid Rs 1.5 lakh in advance and agreed to give the balance `6.5 lakh three days after the murder, the police said. On October 18, Satyanarayana and Ravi took Sai Ram in the family car to a temple in Kallepalli and met the other accused. “All had liquor and after Sai Ram got drunk, he was strangled with a rope. The killers later dumped the body in Musi at Sunyapahad,” the inspector said, adding the couple spilled the story on interrogation.
