Police in Nagarkurnool district of Telangana on Tuesday arrested a 'serial killer' who was allegedly involved in the murders of as many as 11 people in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Ramati Sathyanarayana (47), a native of Nagarkurnool, about 130 kms from Hyderabad, brutally killed 11 innocent people by deceiving them on the promise of unearthing hidden treasures for them, police said.

The modus operandi of the accused was to lure people in the name of finding treasures for them by making them believe that he could do so by performing puja.

He would take money or get lands registered in his name and then take the victims to isolated places where he killed them by pouring acid and some unknown poison in their mouth, a police release said.

As soon as they became partially unconscious, he threw boulders on their head, it said.

The accused has indulged in this kind of offences since 2020 and managed to escape from the police net.

"...so far, the accused killed 11 persons, including female persons. As of now his role is identified in eight cases across both Telugu states (Telangana and AP) and Karnataka," the release said.

Police began investigation after a woman complained on November 26 that her husband left their home at Langar House in Hyderabad to meet one Sathyanarayana in Nagarkurnool but did not return home even after five days.

When the woman and her family members met the accused to know the whereabouts of her husband before she approached police, he did not give proper answers, a police release said.

The police SI at Nagarkurnool, who took up investigation had found the behaviour of the accused Ramati Sathyanarayana suspicious.

Police said the accused, who was into real estate business in Nagarkurnool and also practised herbal medicine, was in the habit of treasure hunts.

He had informed his real estate friends about his practices for finding hidden treasures.

The complainant's husband, Venkatesh, and his friends who came to know about the accused, approached him for finding hidden treasures, the release said.

He agreed to their request and asked them for money with a condition that only Venkatesh should contact him during the process of finding treasure.

After claiming to be making efforts to find a treasure, the accused had told Venkatesh that three pregnant women should be sacrificed which caused fear in the latter.

Venkatesh asked the accused to return the money.

However, the accused gave some poisonous herbs to the victim claiming it to be holy water on December 4 and took him to some hillock the same day on the pretext of performing a puja and killed him by pouring acid when the victim fell unconscious, the release said.

During investigation, based on credible information, police apprehended the accused.

"During further investigation by the CI of police-Nagarkurnool, unbelievable and sensational killings of 10 more persons was unearthed in the confession of the accused Ramati Sathyanarayana," the release claimed.

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