The Mahabubabad police on Friday claimed to have solved the murder case of 35-year-old municipal councillor Banoth Ravi with the arrest of seven persons including two former business associates of the deceased.

In less than 24 hours of the gory murder, the police nabbed the main accused in the crime identified as Bukya Vijay, 34, and another accused at Jangiligonda crossroads while they were trying to flee the town on Thursday night, police said.

Police seized a car and a knife and their “blood-stained” clothes besides their mobile phones.

Based on their confession, the police on Friday apprehended the remaining five accused, who allegedly aided them in the crime. All the accused hail from Mahabubabad district.

The prime accused Vijay earlier had business transactions with the deceased.

He subsequently entered into timber trade and allegedly harboured a grudge against Ravi suspecting him to be responsible for the seizure of a wood consignment belonging to him by the forest sleuths in the past.

He along with the second accused allegedly hatched a conspiracy and resorted to the brutal murder by hitting Ravi with his tractor before axing him to death in the town on Thursday morning, police added.

A bike used for conducting recce of Ravi’s movements and a tractor involved in the crime were also seized from the accused by the town police.