A middle-aged man and his two sons were hacked to death by rivals in broad daylight in Jagtial town due to previous enmity over allegations of sorcery on Thursday.
However, police said the motive behind the gruesome triple murder is not clear yet.
The deceased were identified as J Nageshwara Rao, 53, his sons Rambabu, 30, and Ramesh, 25, of Jagtial town.
According to the police, the incident took place during a meeting of pig-rearers at Tarakarama Nagar in the town on Thursday afternoon.
An old rivalry between some of the members sparked a heated argument during the meeting which subsequently turned violent. The rivals of Nageshwara Rao allegedly attacked him and his two sons with sharp knives and spears, killing the trio on the spot, sources said.
Nageshwara Rao’s youngest son managed to escape when the assailants chased him for a distance before fleeing.
The scene of crime presented a heartrending picture with the blood-stained bodies lying on the ground and the misery-stricken family members of the deceased wailing loudly.
Sources said there were some internal squabbles among two groups of pig-rearers and the members of the two rival groups filed complaints against each other at a police station in the neighbouring Rajanna-Sircilla district in the recent past.
When contacted, Jagtial Superintendent of Police Sindhu Sarma said a thorough investigation in the case is underway. “We are probing all possible angles to ascertain the motive behind the triple murder,” she said, adding that efforts were on to identify and nab the assailants.
