Two youths were arrested on Sunday for allegedly hacking their friend to death with a knife at his residence in Kakinada on September 1 after he refused to share nude photographs and videos of women stored on his cellphone, police said.

The accused were identified as Palepu Vivek, 18, and Eluri Ramakrishna, 21. They allegedly attacked Gandi Sridhar, 31, when he was alone at his house. He died on the spot.

Sridhar, who held an MBA degree, had worked as a Ward Volunteer between 2019 and 2024. He lived with his mother after his wife divorced him within three months of their marriage.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Kakinada In-charge DSP M. Kishore Kumar said Sridhar had stored photographs and videos of women with whom he had relationships on his cellphone and had shown the content to Vivek and Ramakrishna.

The accused allegedly planned to obtain the photographs and videos from Sridhar and share them with the family members of the women featured in them and demand money from them, Mr. Kishore Kumar said.

When Sridhar refused to hand over the data, the accused allegedly hacked him to death and fled with his cellphone, he said.

The Kakinada II Town police recovered four cellphones, a pen drive and a knife from the accused. A murder case was registered based on a written complaint lodged by Sridhar’s mother, Jayalakshmi.

The accused were produced before a local magistrate and remanded in judicial custody on Sunday.