HYDERABAD: TDP leader and former
Andhra Pradesh minister
Bhuma Akhila Priya
was on Wednesday arrested for allegedly planning and executing the kidnaping of three businessmen brothers from Hyderabad late on Tuesday night.
The victims are relatives of one of
Telangana chief minister
K Chandrasekhar Rao
’s personal assistants, Venugopal Rao. At the heart of the issue is a 25-acre prime real estate in Hafeezpet area that the two groups were feuding over.
Police
claim Akhila Priya wanted a part of the
land
which the brothers had refused.
The kidnapping drama started on Tuesday night when some 10 to 15 assailants took away the three men from their house at Manovikasnagar in Bowenpally after posing as I-T sleuths and policemen, said Hyderabad police commissioner Anjani Kumar. The victims included former national badminton player K Praveen along with Naveen and Sunil.
After the family approached the police, a massive manhunt was launched to rescue the three men. Fearing that they would be caught, the abductors abandoned the trio at Narsingi in the early hours of Wednesday.
After an initial probe, Hyderabad police picked up Akhila Priya from her house in Kukatpally. She is the daughter of Allagadda strongman, the late Bhuma Nagi Reddy, and former minister Shobha.
One kidnapper was in khaki, say copsLate in the evening, prime accused A V Subba Reddy, aone-time associate of Akhila Priya, was picked up from Ayyappa Society in Madhapur even as he was talking to reporters and denying any involvement in the kidnapping.
Anjani Kumar said that the at around 7.20 pm on Tuesday showing fake ID cards and a search warrant, the kidnappers summoned the brothers into the living room of the house and ushered other family members into a bedroom.
One of the kidnappers was in a police uniform to make the family believe that it was a genuine raid. Two assailants stood guard at the bedroom door, which was bolted from outside and cell phones of the family members were also taken away. About half-an-hour later, the assailants left with the three brothers in tow without informing the family members.
The incident came to light when a family member, Sarita, who was at a neighbour’s place, returned home and opened the bedroom door. “We really thought it was an I-T raid,” Praveen’s nephew K Manish told police in his complaint.
After looking at CCTV footage, the family realised the brothers might have been kidnapped and lodged a police complaint. “The complainant alleged they suspect the involvement of AV Subba Reddy, Akhila Priya and her husband Bhargav,” Anjani Kumar said. At around 4am, the brothers were located on the road near TSPA in Narsingi. Police officials said they had not been hurt.
“Besides Akhila Priya, Srinivas Chowdary, Sai, Chanti and others are also involved. So far, only Akhila Priya has been arrested. We will form special teams and send them to Andhra Pradesh to arrest the remaining accused, who are absconding. It is not acceptable that people from outside the state are resorting to criminal activities in relation to land and other civil matters in Hyderabad. We will take stern action against such people,” Kumar said.
The CP also asked people to call police if they have any doubt about fraudsters trying to pose as IT, CBI or ED sleuths.