Hyderabad: A year after the murder of veteran CPM leader and former Patharlapadu sarpanch Samineni Rama Rao in a suspected financial dispute, Khammam police have arrested the four assailants in the case.Rama Rao (72), a former state general secretary of Rythu Sangham, was found murdered in a shed adjacent to his house in Patharlapadu village of Chinthakani mandal in the early hours of Oct 31, 2025.While investigators suspect a monetary dispute as the motive, Khammam police commissioner Sunil Dutt said the exact reason for the killing would be established through further investigation. Police are also trying to establish whether the four assailants were hired by someone.The arrested men were identified as Bodapatla Srinivasa Rao alias Mental Srinu (34), a mason; Nukala Lingaiah (43), a farmer; Mallarapu Lakshmaiah (24), and Karlapudi Uday Kumar (39), painters. All are residents of Teldarupalli village in Khammam rural mandal.Police seized two knives suspected to have been used in the murder and four mobile phones allegedly used during reconnaissance before the crime.Following the murder, Chinthakani police registered a case and launched an extensive investigation. The investigation that led to the arrests combined forensic science, technical analysis and physical evidence, with assistance from experts at the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Gandhinagar.As part of the probe, police secured court permission to conduct polygraph tests on 24 persons whose names surfaced during the investigation. Six individuals voluntarily consented to the examinations, which were conducted at the Forensic Science Laboratory, Bengaluru, in Jan. The findings were assessed along with other evidence to generate further leads.The Khammam CP said investigators sought assistance from NFSU experts. A six-member forensic team visited Khammam and conducted a detailed analysis of the available evidence. The forensic findings, when combined with physical and technical evidence, helped investigators identify the accused.
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