Sidhartha Reddy held, booked on three counts

hyderabad:sidhartha reddy, whoallegedly consumed poison along with the late film actress pratyusha, wasarrested by the crime branch criminal investigation department (cbcid) officialssoon after he was discharged from care hospital here on saturday. he wasarrested from the hospital premises at 5 pm. sidhartha was admitted to thehospital along with pratyusha on feb. 23. while pratyusha died the next day,sidhartha survived. according to cb-cid superintendent of police (women’sprotection cell) k narasimha reddy, sidhartha reddy has been charged under threesections of the indian penal code: 309 (attempt to commit suicide), 306(abetting suicide) and 302 (murder). according to the sp, the murder charge hasbeen kept pending as the report of the newly constituted committee of forensicexperts is awaited. these experts have been asked to review the post-mortemreport on pratyusha conducted by dr muniswamy of the gandhi hospital. the chargeof abetment to suicide would be almost as grave an offence as murder as, iffound guilty, the accused in such cases faces a maximum sentence of 10 yearsrigorous imprisonment, an official said. however, if the only charge that wouldultimately stick is ‘attempt to suicide,’ the punishment would bevery light, the officer added. subsequent to the arrest, sidhartha reddy wasescorted to the dgp’s office in lakdi-ka-pool where he was interrogated bysenior police officers. sidhartha reportedly stuck to the statement he had givento a magistrate earlier on sunday night. he reportedly told interrogatingofficials that he had entered into a suicide pact with pratyusha and both ofthem had consumed poison. the reason for their decision to end their lives washis parents’ objection to their relationship, sidhartha said. afterinterrogation, sidhartha reddy was shifted to the women’s protection celllock-up in red hills. he is to be produced before a magistrate on sundaymorning. since the court would be closed on sunday, sidhartha would be taken tothe magistrate’s home, the police said.