Telangana: 19-year-old arrested for killing three people with hammer

In a shocking incident, the police have arrested a 19-year-old youth for allegedly killing three people using a hammer. The triple murder is said to have happened on the intervening night of 7 and 8 December in the Nizamabad district of Telangana and the victims were sleeping in a workshop in Dichapalli.

Nizamabad police officer Kartikeya said that after killing the trio with a hammer, Srikanth fled with their mobile phones and money. The victims have been identified as Harpal Singh, a harvester mechanic from Punjab, Joginder Singh and crane operator Banoth Sunil.

The police nabbed the accused after interrogating well-known criminals in Nizamabad. During the raid at Srikant's house, a shirt covered in blood was recovered. When the police interrogated him, the accused confessed to his crime.

The police officer after visiting the spot had formed three teams to nab the culprit. Apart from checking the list of past criminals and those recently released from jails, the police worked on other leads including CCTV footage in the surrounding areas.

The accused told the police that he committed the crime while intoxicated. When he entered the workshop with the intention of stealing money, he saw three people sleeping. He killed Sunil with a hammer and snatched his mobile. He then went to another part of the workshop where Harpal and Joginder were sleeping. He also killed them with the same hammer and fled with their mobile phone and cash.

According to the police, Shrikant, who was a rag picker, was a habitual offender since childhood. He has been involved in eight incidents. He had attacked the watchman of a temple and stole a handi. In this case, he was sent to the Children's Correctional Home in Hyderabad for three years. He was released in October this year.