KADAPA (Andhra): A man was hacked to death in broad daylight in Proddatur town, as bystanders chose to film the killing on their mobile phones, instead of helping the victim. Maruti Reddy, 32, from Devagudi village, was on his way in an auto to the district court to appear in a case, when the assailants pulled him out of the autorickshaw and attacked him with a machete.
He collapsed near the median on the road, and as he lay motionless, one of the assailants pinned him down while the other hacked at him, striking 11 blows in a couple of minutes. As the murder unravelled on the road, people continued with their chores, nobody daring to intervene. The incident,which was captured on camera by bystanders, soon went viral on social media, triggering public outrage against the police. The assailants walked away after the attack. Only then, did the general witnesses approach the body and inform the police, who arrived later and took the body away for a post-mortem.
The two men are suspected to be Srinivas Reddy and Raghunath. Authorities believe an illicit relationship to be the motivation for the gruesome killing.
