Mysuru: The City police have cracked the murder of history-sheeter E Krishna who was brutally killed with lethal weapons at V V Mohalla on December 23. Police arrested seven people in connection with the murder who admitted that the killing was vendetta driven.

The arrested are Bharat Kumar (29), Hemanth (29), Ashok (34), Sandesh (23), Murthy (26), all residents of Vinayakanagar in the city, Sanju (29), a resident of Chamundi Hill and Dharmendra of Siddaramanahundi in the taluk. Police said all the arrested are habitual offenders.

City Police Commissioner Dr A Subramanyeshwar Rao told reporters that the accused confessed to their crime and admitted that they eliminated Krishna to take revenge against the murders of Devu of Paduvarahalli who was killed in May and also for killing Hemanth. Bharat Kumar, an aide of Devu, is believed to be the prime accused as he planned to kill Krishna, police said.

According to the accused, Krishna, along with the aides of C Mahadesh alias ‘Avva’ Madesha, a history-sheeter, who is serving imprisonment in a double murder case, had planned to eliminate Hemanth. Hence, they hatched a plot to kill Krishna, said the police commissioner.

Following the murder of Krishna, two special teams led by Jayalakshmipuram Police Inspector Ravindra and Hebbal Police Inspector Thimmegowda were formed by the Commissioner to investigate the case.

While City Crime Branch (CCB) police picked up Bharat Kumar from a house in J P Nagar in Bengaluru on Friday, the police team arrested another six from Gokulam area in the city when they were trying to contact a lawyer.

Rao said, except Sanju and Sandesh, all others were involved in murder cases. While Hemanth and Ashok are accused in the murder of Kariyappa, also a history-sheeter who was murdered in T K Layout in 2010, Bharat is an accused in the murder case of Lallu under Jayalakshmipuram police limits.

Murthy was involved in the murder of Mohan Singh in Belakavadi in Mandya district. Sanju is also facing charges of an attempt to murder while Sandesh is a history-sheeter in Jayalakshmipuram police station limits.