P V Nagamani and Gattu Vamana Rao (File photo)
The double murder of advocate couple Gattu Vamana Rao and P V Nagamani in Manthani last month has brought back dreaded memories of the hunting sickle – the notorious murder weapon used widely across the Rayalaseema region.
Called Veta Kodavali in Telugu, the story of the sickle is closely related to the faction killings, that once shook the Seema region of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, and surfaced as the murder weapon in 90% of faction murder case charge sheets filed in this belt, over the last three decades or more.
This sickle has a long handle and a curved portion on top, which is about one or two inches in height.