Hyderabad, Dec 8 (IANS) A realtor, who had a criminal history, was brutally murdered by unidentified persons in Malkajgiri area of Hyderabad on Monday.

Venkatratnam, who was on his motorbike, was attacked by assailants near Foster Billabong School in Saket Colony under the limits of Jawahar Nagar Police Station.

The assailants stabbed the victim and also shot him, resulting in his death on the spot.

The killing in broad daylight shocked residents. Police rushed to the spot and shifted the body for postmortem examination.

Police recovered a sharp-edged weapon from the spot.

A case of murder has been registered at Jawahar Nagar Police Station of Rachakonda Commissionerate. Police were trying to identify the assailants through the CCTV footage around the area.

The assailants in a vehicle chased Venkatratnam before opening fire on him. They later hacked him to death.

Venkatratnam is said to be a history sheeter of Dhoolpet area of the city. He was an accused in a double murder case.

Police suspect that Venkatratnam’s murder could be an act of revenge by the family members of the victims in the double murder case.

This is the second murder in the city in less than a week. On the night of December 4, a 28-year-old man was killed in a similar manner at Rein Bazar in old city.

Junaid Bin Mohammad Baharmoos was going on a motorcycle when two persons waylaid and attacked him with sharp edged weapons leading to serious injuries. Junaid, a resident of Yakutpura, was rushed to a private hospital at Malakpet where he died while undergoing treatment.

Police launched a hunt for five accused in the case. Two of them were identified as Ali Bin Hamza and Omar Bin Hamza, sons of Hamza Bin Omer alias Zafar Pahelwan, a history sheeter.

Junaid was allegedly murdered after a fight between two groups over a property dispute.

–IANS

ms/rad