Hyderabad: A Hyderabad court remanded former Andhra Pradesh minister Akhila Priya to 14 days judicial custody in connection with the abduction of a former sportsperson and two his brothers. She was lodged in Chanchalguda central prison for women while her lawyers move a petition seeking her release on bail citing her ill health.
Priya was arrested by Hyderabad police on Wednesday in connection with the sensational kidnapping of a former badminton player Praveen Rao and two of his brothers.
Preliminary investigation by the police revealed that the three brothers were abducted in connection with a dispute over 25 acres of prime land in Hafeezpet area of Hyderabad.
Hyderabad police commissioner Anjani Kumar said that abductors had entered the home of Praveen Kumar posing as Income Tax officers and took away three brothers in three vehicles to city outskirts.
They also questioned the brothers for 15 to 20 minutes.
Police has booked cases against S V Subba Reddy, a close aide of Akhila Priya’s father late Bhuma Nagi Reddy, naming as accused No. 1. While Akhila Priya, a minister in the former N Chandrababu Naidu government in Andhra Pradesh was named as accused No 2 and her husband Bhargava Ram as accused No 3. Search was also on for about 15 abductors who had forcibly taken away the three brothers.
Khaki uniform
Police believes that professional gang from Rayalseema region was involved in the incident. One of them was wearing khaki uniform to pose as a policeman during the abduction, police said.
According to the police the dispute had its origin in 2016 when Praveen Rao had reached an understanding with Bhuma Nagi Reddy and SV Subba Reddy to purchase the 25 acres of land. However once the land was registered in his name Praveen failed to meet his commitment to Nagi Reddy and his successors.
After the death of Bhuma Nagi Reddy, Akhila Priya and his sister had started pressurizing Praveen Rao for their share but Rao told them that he had already paid the share to Subba Reddy and they should demand their share from him.
SV Subba Reddy also tried to exert pressure on Praveen Rao to give a share of land to Bhuma’s daughters but Praveen refused. “In 2020 a case was booked against SV Subba Reddy for trespassing into Praveen’s property”, commissioner Anjani Kumar said.
Praveen Rao is a relative of Venugopala Rao, one of the personal assistants to the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.
