Hyderabad: 15 more arrested for Bowenpally kidnapping

Hyderabad: In a major breakthrough in the kidnapping case orchestrated by Akhila Priya, ex-tourism minister of AP, the city police arrested 15 more persons who were involved in the offence. Apart from the conspirators, the main role was of one, Madala Siddharth (29), an event manager who provided 15 men to Guntur Srinu for committing the offence.

According to police, the accused who were arrested earlier have revealed the details about their associates and based on their confessions, the arrests were made on Sunday. Though the entire plan was sketched by Akhila Priya, Bhargav Ram and Guntur Srinu, in order to execute the plan the men were provided by Madala Siddharth, an event manager who helped the masterminds by providing men.

Once the plan was finalized by the trio Akhila Priya, Bhargav Ram and Guntur Srinu, the latter approached Siddharth and sought his help in seeking men while promising him to pay Rs 5 lakh and Rs. 25,000 to each man. He also paid Rs 74,000 at various occasions to Siddharth, said Anjani Kumar, Hyderabad Police Commissioner.

He noted, "The accused Guntur Srinu also arranged a lodge for all the men in KPHB and took physical measurements of all of them to secure formal clothes and all of them were briefed about their roles. Devarkonda Krishna Sai, Devarkonda Krishna Vamshi, D Nagaraju, B Sai, K Shiva Prasad, M Srinu, A Prakash, Shaikh Dawood, were given the uniform of police constables and they were instructed to lock up all the family members in a room, while others acted as IT officials."

"Apart from it, Bhargav Ram through Mallikarjun Reddy and Sampath got 10 stamp papers – Rs 5 each in the name of Bhargav Ram and Vikyath Reddy. Guntur Srinu along with Sampath and Mallikarjun Reddy went to a mobile shop to buy 06 basic mobile phones. Later, they bought toy pistols, rope and plasters which were used in the offence. Also, fake number plates were printed on a paper at a xerox shop and pasted on the number plates of the vehicles," stated the Commissioner.

He explained, "In furtherance of their plan, on January 5 in the evening at about 4 pm all the accused persons assembled at MGH School in Yousufguda, where they were briefed by Bhargav Ram about the execution of their plan by exposing themselves as IT officials and police officers and later on, they moved on to commit the offence.

After kidnapping Praveen Rao and his brothers, they took them to the guest house of Bhargav Ram at Moinabad and forced them to sign documents. However, as they realized that they were being chased by police, they left the brothers."

Praveen Rao, an ex-badminton player and his brothers were kidnapped by henchmen of Akhila Priya on January 5 as there was an ongoing dispute related to Hafeezpet lands between the families. Though Akhila Priya was arrested the next day from her residence, the hunt is still on for her husband Bhargav Ram and Guntur Srinu and in this process many others who have participated in the crime have been arrested by the police.