The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday evening arrested son and daughter of former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman and ex-Telugu Desam Party MP D K Adikesavulu Naidu in connection with a long-pending criminal case, involving the murder of his close aide Raghunath.
The CBI arrested Adikesavulu Naidu’s son D A Srinivas and daughter Kalpaja, at their residence in Marathahalli, Bengaluru, following multiple charges including criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, and destruction of evidence.
Along with Srinivas and Kalpaja, DSP Mohan of the Karnataka Human Rights Commission was also arrested in the same case.
The arrests stem from cases registered by the CBI following directions from the Karnataka high court, which were later upheld by the Supreme Court.
The cases date back to 2019 and originated from the suspicious death of K. Raghunath, a close associate of Adikesavulu Naidu.
After Adikesavulu Naidu’s death in 2013, Raghunath allegedly took control of several properties owned by the former MP in and around Bengaluru.
Raghunath himself owned multiple immovable properties in the Bengaluru outskirts.
According to the allegations, Srinivas, Kalpaja, and others pressured Raghunath to transfer these properties to their names, claiming legal heirship to their father’s assets.
It is further alleged that Srinivas claimed that even the income generated from properties registered in Raghunath’s name actually belonged to his father and demanded their transfer.
Amid these disputes, Raghunath was found dead under suspicious circumstances in May 2019.
Initially, Raghunath’s son registered a case of unnatural death. However, in February 2020, Raghunath’s wife lodged a sensational complaint alleging that her husband was murdered due to property disputes and accused Srinivas and others of orchestrating the crime.
Though Bengaluru police registered a case and began an investigation, Raghunath’s family alleged that the probe was being influenced, claiming that Srinivas and Kalpaja were exerting pressure using their clout.
This led the family to approach the Karnataka High Court seeking transfer of the investigation to the CBI.
Following judicial orders, the case was handed over to the CBI, which intensified the probe and has now arrested the accused.
The arrested individuals are scheduled to be produced before the court on Tuesday.