Youth found dead on Cooum riverbank; Jana Sena leader among 5 held
According to the suspects’ statements, on July 7, Srinivasalu was found dead in their bathroom, allegedly having hanged himself with a rope after being tortured
A shocking case of murder has come to light in Chennai, where a 22-year-old youth, identified as Srinivasalu alias Rayudu from Tirupati, was found dead under mysterious circumstances on the banks of the Cooum River. Investigations have revealed that he was brutally tortured and killed, and his body dumped in the river to cover up the crime.
Five individuals, including a woman leader from Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party, have been arrested in connection with the case. The gruesome discovery was made on July 8 near the fourth entrance of the Cooum River, behind the MS Nagar Tamil Nadu Housing Board colony.
Acting on a tip-off, Egmore police rushed to the scene and sent the body for a postmortem at Stanley Government Hospital. The autopsy confirmed that the youth had been murdered, prompting a deeper investigation.
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Personal vendetta
CCTV footage revealed a group arriving in a car and dumping Srinivasalu’s body on the riverbank before fleeing. Using the car’s registration number and CCTV evidence, police arrested five suspects: Sivakumar, an IT wing leader of Jana Sena; Vinutha Kota, a party representative from the Kalahasti constituency; her husband Chandrababu; their aide Gopi; and the car driver, Sheikh Dasan. Investigations uncovered an alleged motive rooted in personal vendetta.
Vinutha Kota, a prominent Jana Sena leader in Kalahasti, had employed Srinivasalu at her residence since 2019. She allegedly discovered a mobile phone hidden under her bed, which belonged to Srinivasalu. Upon checking the device, she found recorded footage of her changing clothes in her bedroom. Enraged, Vinutha and her husband Chandrababu allegedly confronted Srinivasalu, brutally assaulting him during interrogation.
Political twist
Further probe revealed that Srinivasalu claimed he was paid by Bajala Sudhir Reddy, a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLA from Kalahasti and a rival of Jana Sena, to gather sensitive information about the party and record compromising visuals of Vinutha. Shocked by the revelation, Vinutha reported the matter to the Jana Sena leadership, which allegedly attempted to mediate the issue. Subsequently, Srinivasalu was dismissed from his job.
The case took a political twist as tensions escalated after the 2023 Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections. Vinutha, who was initially promised a ticket by Jana Sena, lost the opportunity when the seat was allocated to TDP’s Bajala Sudhir Reddy, who won the election.
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Tale of torture
Harbouring resentment, Vinutha and Chandrababu allegedly confined Srinivasalu in their home, subjecting him to prolonged torture. According to the suspects’ statements, on July 7, Srinivasalu was found dead in their bathroom, allegedly having hanged himself with a rope after being tortured. Panicked, the couple, with help from party associates and their driver, transported the body to Chennai and dumped it on the Cooum river bank.
Chennai Police Commissioner Arun, addressing the media, confirmed that Srinivasalu was murdered and that the arrested Jana Sena members are under intense interrogation. Egmore police, in coordination with Andhra Pradesh authorities, are investigating the site of the alleged torture and gathering further evidence.