Bhanu extorted Rs 1.5 cr from Handri contractors

HYDERABAD: Notorious history-sheeter Dantuluri Krishna alias Mangali Krishna is one of the benamis of Mallisetty Bhanu Kiran, the prime accused in the Maddelacheruvu Suri murder case. Krishna confessed before the Crime Investigation Department (CID) officials that he and Bhanu had settled many land disputes and that he was holding on his name Bhanu’s assets worth `10 crore.Krishna was arrested by the CID sleuths on Tuesday night while he was on his way to Hyderabad near a check-post at Jadcherla in Mahabubnagar district. After questioning him on various issues, the sleuths on Wednesday produced him before the Nampally Court which sent him to judicial custody till June 6. He was shifted to the Cherlapally Central prison.Krishna came into contact with Bhanu and Venkata Madhu Mohan Reddy in the course of his weapons procurement business. They later teamed up and started operating as an extortion gang. They had threatened Venkata Narsimha Reddy and SV Ranga Reddy, managing partners of Kaya Infratech Projects and contractors of Handri-Neeva project, and extorted `1.50 crore from them. They took four checques for the amount. Two cheques were encashed through Shourie Estates Private limited and another one through MNR Projects, confessed Krishna. The gang was also involved in land settlements in Hyderabad and Cyberabad limits and all assets thus obtained were registered on the name of Krishna.Based on a complaint lodged by the contractors, the CID has arrested Krishna. “Krishna was the key person supplying weapons to Bhanu. Even when Bhanu planned to kill Maddelacheruvu Suri, it was Krishna who supplied the arms. He procured the weapons from various persons using his political contacts,” sources in the CID said.Meanwhile, the court directed the jail authorities to keep the accused safely in the barracks as Bhanu was also lodged in the Cherlapally Central Prison.