Hyderabad: Telanagana police arrested Rajesh, the prime accused in the sensational face-off case and produced him in the court in Nagarkurnool.
A police team took him into custody at the DRDO Apollo Hospital on Thursday morning after doctors discharged him from the burns ward.
Rajesh was admitted in Apollo Hospital about two weeks ago with burns on his face and body inflicted by his lover Swathi Reddy as part of a sinister plot.
Police has already arrested 28-year-old Swathi Reddy on charges of murdering her husband Sudhakar Reddy.
According to police, Swathi had conspired with her lover Rajesh to murder her husband and make him take the place of her husband by disfiguring the former and make him undergo plastic surgery.
Shock and dismay
The incident, which occurred on the intervening night of November 26 and 27, has sent shock waves and dismayed residents of the small town of Nagarkurnool in Telangana.
It has left both the families of Sudhakar Reddy as well as Swathi devastated and they were trying to recover from the shock. What was more shocking was the fact that Swathi chose the 7th birthday of her son, Darshit Reddy, to kill her husband and burn his body.
Now Dasrith and their three-year-old daughter Harshita are with their maternal grandfather Linga Reddy. A shocked and tearful Linga Reddy told reporters that he paid Rs500,000 (Dh28,489) to the hospital for the treatment of the injured Rajesh thinking he was his son-in-law. “Forget the money. I am more hurt and shocked by the betrayal of my daughter. I never thought she would go to this extent in lying and betraying us,” he lamented. “Now I will dedicate my life to take care of my two grandchildren,” he said.
In another house in the same town, Sudhakar Reddy’s mother Sumatamma was still inconsolable. “I will never forgive that girl for the treachery. What was the fault of my son. He was a kind and caring person who was taking care of her and the family,” she said tears rolling down her cheeks.
According to the police, Swathi and Rajesh had meticulously planned to eliminate Reddy after which Rajesh would take his place. Later, Swathi decided to disfigure Rajesh’s face with his consent. Rajesh, to ensure that his face was not burnt severely, applied a cream on his face and also covered his lips with plaster.
However, the real identity of Rajesh was revealed when Reddy’s parents noticed his strange behaviour and noticed that his physical appearance was distinctly different from their son.
On an alert from the family, Nagarkurnool police took up the investigation and questioned Swathi. During interrogation she confessed to the crime and identified the place where the burnt body of Reddy was disposed off by the duo.
