CBI arrests Adikesavulu Naidu’s children in Raghunath death case; former HAL inspector also held

Bengaluru: The mysterious death of real estate businessman K Raghunath, a close associate of former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman and ex-Lok Sabha MP late D K Adikesavulu Naidu, has taken a dramatic turn with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arresting Naidu’s son and daughter along with a senior police officer.

The CBI has arrested D K Srinivas, son of Adikesavulu Naidu, his daughter Kalpaja, and former Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Mohan in connection with the case. The 48th Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) court has remanded the accused to seven days of CBI custody.

During the court proceedings, Kalpaja reportedly broke down and wept before the judge. Raghunath was found dead on May 14, 2019, at a guest house owned by Adikesavulu Naidu in Kundalahalli, under the HAL police station limits in Bengaluru.

Initially treated as a case of unnatural death, the incident has remained controversial for nearly six years, with allegations of murder, forgery and manipulation of evidence surfacing repeatedly.

According to the CBI, the arrests are linked to allegations that forged documents, including fake stamp papers and a fabricated will, were created to illegally transfer Raghunath’s properties to Srinivas and Kalpaja. The agency suspects a well-orchestrated conspiracy aimed at grabbing prime real estate assets following Raghunath’s death.

After Raghunath’s death, his wife Manjula had lodged a complaint at the HAL police station, alleging that Adikesavulu Naidu’s children — Srinivas, Damodar, Ramachandraiah and Pratap — had murdered her husband and staged it as a suicide. She also accused them of producing a fake will in court to usurp Raghunath’s properties.

However, the HAL police, after conducting an investigation, submitted a ‘B report’ to the court, effectively giving a clean chit to the accused. Dissatisfied with the findings, Manjula challenged the B report before the Karnataka High Court. Acting on her petition, the High Court ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to re-investigate the case.

The SIT too submitted a B report, reiterating that no evidence of murder was found. Manjula once again moved the High Court, questioning the SIT’s conclusions. Taking serious note of the repeated allegations and inconsistencies, the High Court ordered a CBI probe into the matter.

The Adikesavulu Naidu family challenged the High Court’s order before the Supreme Court. However, the apex court upheld the decision, ruling that a CBI investigation was justified given the circumstances and directed the central agency to proceed with the probe.

Following the Supreme Court’s clearance, the Chennai unit of the CBI registered a murder case and began a fresh investigation. Based on evidence gathered during the probe, the agency arrested Srinivas and Kalpaja, along with Mohan, the then HAL police inspector who had investigated the case earlier.

The CBI suspects that the officer may have played a role in influencing or derailing the initial investigation. The arrests have sent shockwaves through political and bureaucratic circles, reopening questions about the handling of high-profile cases and alleged misuse of influence to suppress the truth.

Further investigation is underway, and the CBI is expected to question the accused in detail during the custody period.

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