Four of the accused Grandhi Bramaiah (38), Sai Nikhil (25), Bandari Veera Manikanta (25), and Singamreddy Pradeep Reddy (27) have been taken into custody. The fifth, Sunny, is still absconding. The police found that Srinivasa Rao had taken an amount of Rs 20 lakh from one of the accused, Veera Manikanta, which he did not return.
Hospitals struggling to arrange extra beds
Srikakulam district saw its active caseload shooting up to 9,247, with 1,017 cases being reported on Friday alone.
The district’s overall caseload now stands at 58,152.
Currently, 7,625 patients are in home isolation while 768 persons were admitted to hospital. As many as 854 persons have been admitted to COVID Care Centres.
With the unprecedented number of daily positive cases, the district administration is struggling to arrange more beds at hospitals. At present, only 2,026 beds are available at COVID-19 designated hospitals. At least 5,000 beds are needed immediately in the district to handle the situation.
Economic activity saw a sharp downturn in the district, with commercial establishments including nationalised banks limiting their hours of functioning.