Hyderabad: Naveen Reddy, wanted for the kidnap of dentist Vaishali Reddy from her residence in Hyderabad last week, has been arrested in Goa and is being brought to the city on Wednesday.
A team of Rachakonda police reportedly arrested Naveen Reddy in Goa and was bringing him to Hyderabad. He is likely to be produced before a magistrate after reaching Hyderabad later in the day.
The man was charged with trespassing, kidnap, theft, and rioting after he abducted Vaishali Reddy on December 9 hours before her engagement.
In a scene straight from a crime flick, about 50 people had attacked Vaishali Reddy’s house at Adibatla on the city outskirts. They ransacked the house, and attacked vehicles before taking her away in a car.
The police later rescued the dentist and arrested 32 persons. Naveen Reddy along with three others, however, had remained at large.
The number two accused in the case Vajid Rumen, Siddu and Chandu, were also arrested on Tuesday from different places.
Before his arrest, Naveen Reddy released a video, appealing to the people and media to see things from his perspective
“I was not able to surrender due to some health issues. What happened was a mistake and I confess. But there is so much pain behind all of this,” he said.
The accused blamed Vaishali Reddy’s family saying he committed the mistake because of them. He also stated that the family had woven all stories.
Rachakonda police is reported to be planning to invoke Preventive Detention (PD) Act against Naveen Reddy. Two years ago he was booked for cheating in Warangal district. In the latest case, police have booked three cases against him.
In the remand report filed on Tuesday, police revealed that after kidnapping Vaishali, Naveen and four others headed towards Nalgonda in the car. On the way, Naveen asked Vaishali why she agreed to marrying someone else, and then beat her indiscriminately. He also bit her on her left shoulder, forehead and right thumb.
All the accused had switched off their mobile phones. As one of the accused Chandu started vomiting on the way, Rumen stopped the car and asked him to return to the city. In the meantime, Rumen switched on his mobile and found that the news and video of Vaishali’s kidnap had gone viral.
The accused then dropped her near the RTO office in Manneguda and one of the accused gave his mobile phone to Vishali to call her father. All the accused then escaped and headed in different directions to evade police.
On a complaint by the girl’s father Damodar Reddy, police registered a case of attempt to murder, kidnap, trespass and assault against Naveen Reddy and his associates.
Vaishali alleged Naveen Reddy had been harassing her as she had rejected his marriage proposal.
The 24-year-old said that he threatened her that if she can’t marry her, he will not allow her to marry anybody else.
She denied that she had married Naveen Reddy. “On the day he is claiming the marriage took place, I was under treatment at Army dental hospital. He made me the nominee in car insurance. I have nothing to do with this. I have not signed any papers,” she said.
