HYDERABAD: A 24-year-old air-conditioning technician was allegedly killed by a group of ten persons over a paltry sum of ₹700 in what police described as a drug-related dispute in the Attapur area of the city, with eight of the accused being taken into custody on Monday following a swift investigation by the Rajendranagar Task Force and Attapur police.

The deceased, Mohammad Hussain, a resident of Langarhouse, was engaged in the illegal sale of cannabis to acquaintances in the surrounding neighbourhoods. According to Rajendranagar Deputy Commissioner of Police Srinivas, the prime accused, K. Prashant, had paid ₹700 as an advance to Hussain for a consignment of cannabis. When Hussain failed to deliver either the contraband or a refund over the following days, Prashant nursed a grievance against him.

Ambushed Near Metro Pillar

On the night of the 9th of this month, the accused spotted Hussain near Pillar No. 223 on the Attapur Road and intercepted him. The victim was then taken to a nearby function hall, where a group of ten persons assaulted him with knives. Hussain, who sustained grievous injuries, was shifted to Osmania General Hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds on Sunday.

Attapur police registered a case and launched an investigation. Sleuths utilised footage from closed-circuit television cameras in the vicinity to identify and zero in on the accused, leading to the arrest of eight persons: K. Prashant, M. Jagadeesh, Ram Roshan Yadav, Tarun Kumar, A. Nikhil, G. Rajkumar, Vengalarao, and M. Prashant. A search is currently under way for two other accused who remain at large. Two two-wheelers and several mobile phones were seized from those arrested.

Police Commended

The arrests were carried out under the supervision of Rajendranagar ACP T. Srinivas, with Attapur Inspector K. Nageswara Rao and Task Force personnel conducting the operation. City Commissioner of Police Sajjanar commended the team for the prompt resolution of the case.

The incident has once again drawn attention to the unchecked proliferation of petty drug networks in the city's outer localities, with police sources indicating that the victim himself had a prior involvement in the sale of cannabis.