Priyanka Reddy Rape and Murder Case: Accused set to judicial custody

Hyderabad, A magistrate in Telangana's Shadnagar town sent all four accused in the in gruesome gangrape and murder of a woman veterinarian to judicial custody for 14 days.

Mandal Executive Magistrate passed the orders at Shadnagar police station as the accused could not be produced in fast-track court at Mahabubnagar due to non-availability of the judge and also because of tense situation outside the police station.

Accused Mohammed Arif, Chintakunta Chennakeshavulu, Jollu Shiva and Jollu Naveen are likely to be shifted to Mahabubnagar jail.

Earlier, three doctors of a government hospital were also brought to the police station as the angry protests by citizens in front of the police station demanding death for the accused created tension.

After repeated requests by officials failed to pacify the crowd, the police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the protestors. The magistrate was brought to the police station from the back door.

Demanding that the accused be publicly hanged, citizens were staging protest at the police station since morning.

Raising slogans of "we want justice", angry local residents, members of women's groups and students squatted in front of the police station in the town, about 50 km from Hyderabad. They were demanding that the accused be hanged immediately without inquiry and trial.

Some protestors said these criminals had no place in the society and hence they should be killed.

Police tightened the security and deployed additional force around the police station to prevent violence.

The 25-year-old veterinarian was gangraped and killed allegedly by two truck drivers and two cleaners near a toll plaza on Outer Ring Road (ORR) at Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad on the night of Wednesday. They later shifted the body to a place near Shadnagar town and set it afire. The charred body of the victim was found the next day.

Cyberabad police on Friday night announced the arrest of the four accused, who allegedly trapped the victim by deflating a tyre of a scooty parked near the toll plaza.

The accused, two truck drivers and two cleaners, hail from Narayanpet district of Telangana.

Police took the accused to crime scenes on Friday night to reconstruct the crime and record their statements. It is likely to seek custody of the accused for further questioning.