HYDERABAD: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Baddam Bal Reddy’s son Gopal Reddy has been charged with the kidnap and murder of a retired RTA employee from the city. Four persons were arrested on Wednesday for the kidnap and murder while five others, including Gopal Reddy, are absconding.
According to the police, the retired RTA employee, Bansidhar Rao (62), has a 240 square yard plot at West Marredpally. He gave the land for developing to a builder, Tirumal Reddy, and took an advance of Rs 20 lakh. However, the builder did not take up development works on the land and demanded his money back as Bansidhar Rao’s relatives claimed possession of the land. Bansidhar Rao did not return the money for two years.
Tirumal Reddy took the help of his associates including Gopal Reddy to kidnap Bansidhar Rao and get his money back. On April 23, the accused asked Bansidhar Rao to come near the Passport Office at Secunderabad and kidnapped him with his associates. They confined him in a room at Mettuguda and tried to force Bansidhar to sign on documents to get the money back.
“Bansidhar Rao did not sign following which he was shifted to Valigonda mandal in Nalgonda district the next day and and beaten up badly. Bansidhar Rao constantly defied the kidnappers, refusing to sign the documents and even hit one of them. In a fit of rage, the latter then throttled him to death and threw his body thrown into the Musi,” Dabeerpura police inspector Prasanna Kumar said.
Investigating the case, police on Thursday arrested four of the accused, including the builder Tirumal Reddy and his three associates — Madhukar Reddy, Venkataiah alias Mankaiah and Srinivas. Police said Gopal Reddy and four others are absconding.
Baddam Bal Reddy is a senior BJP leader and had even contested from the Chevella Lok Sabha seat in the just concluded elections. He lost the polls. Police say that Gopal Reddy was not present when Bansidhar Rao was killed but they are convinced about his involvement.