The Mayor of Chittoor was stabbed to death on Tuesday and her husband was seriously injured when they were attacked by unidentified assailants. The attack is suspected to be the fallout of a family dispute, police said.

The incident occurred at the Chittoor Municipal Corporation office where five-six persons, with their faces covered, barged into Mayor Katari Anuradha’s chamber and stabbed her, resulting in her death, DIG (Anantapur Range) K Satyanarayana told PTI.

The Mayor, aged around 50, belonged to the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

Before escaping from the spot, the assailants went into an adjoining room where Anuradha’s husband K Mohan, also a senior TDP leader, was sitting. They allegedly shot at him and then stabbed him, Andhra Pradesh Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) RP Thakur said.

Mohan was taken to the Christian Medical College Hospital at Vellore for treatment where his condition was reported to be serious, Satyanarayana said.

“As per preliminary information, the attack was carried out following a family dispute. An investigation has been launched and the truth will be revealed soon. The attackers belong to Karnataka and a hunt has been launched to nab them. We will catch them very soon,” he said.

A pistol and a knife have been recovered from the spot, the DIG added.