Visakhapatnam: A local court on Friday awarded the death sentence to 50-year-old Battina Appalaraju for the brutal killing of six members of a family in Juthada village of Pendurthi mandal, Andhra Pradesh. The murders, which took place on April 15, 2021, stemmed from a longstanding land dispute between two families.
Appalaraju had stormed into the home of Bommidi Ramana and hacked six people to death using a sharp weapon. The victims included:
- Bommidi Ramana (63)
- Usharani (35)
- Alluri Ramadevi (53)
- Nakkella Aruna (37)
- A six-month-old infant
- A two-year-old child
After committing the massacre, Appalaraju surrendered at the local police station.
⚖️ Court Verdict
Terming it a case of “extreme brutality”, the court emphasized that six lives, including two innocent children, were taken in cold blood. The bench stated that the nature of the crime warranted the rarest of rare punishment.
- Death penalty was awarded for the murders.
- Appalaraju was also sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
- Fines were imposed as part of the sentencing.
The judgment has been welcomed by the victims’ families and local residents, who had been awaiting justice since the horrific incident shook the region in 2021.