Raghu Yandamuri, the murderer of 10-month-old Saanvi Venna and her grandmother Satyavathi, has said that his wife had made him turn himself in so that she could claim the reward money.
A reward of $30,000 had been announced for information on Saanvi’s kidnapper and it was later increased to $50,000.
After the completion of his interrogation, Raghu asked the detectives to “tell the media that his wife had turned him in so she would get the 30 grand”. He said that he wanted the money to bring his parents to the US to look after his pregnant wife and later the child. The police had zeroed in on him as he used words like “Latha” and “Siva” in the ransom note, which would be used only by those known to the family.
Raghu was also charged for robbery as he confessed that he had stolen jewellery while kidnapping Saanvi from the Marquis apartment. He had placed the jewellery in the suitcase with Saanvi.
According to the police criminal complaint filed by the Upper Merion police, Raghu had dumped the knife he used for killing Venna and Satyavathi along with some of his clothes and a blue suitcase in a dustbin in a Upper Merion. He had disposed some of the stolen jewellery in the Schuylkill River and had left some in his office.
Raghu had been produced in the district court in Bridgeport on Friday where he had told the media: “I am not the one.” People gathered at the court had shouted slogans like “hang him”. He was also allowed to get in touch with the Indian embassy. Saanvi’s mother Ms Chenchu Latha also appeared for a hearing. Investigators had determined that “Lata” in the kidnap note was a reference to Ms Chenchu Latha Punuru and “Shiva” to Mr Venkata Konda Siva Prasad Venna.