HYDERABAD: Chief Minister’s Secretary and senior IAS officer Smita Sabharwal had a terrifying experience recently when an intruder, identified as Anantakumar Reddy, deputy tahsildar from Medchal-Malkajgiri district, knocked on her door late in the night. The senior bureaucrat was taken aback by the appearance of a stranger when she opened the door of her house in a well-secured gated community in Jubilee Hills.
When Sabharwal confronted him about his identity and his visit without a prior appointment, the intruder said he had come to discuss his promotion. The angry IAS officer raised an alarm following which the security personnel rushed to the spot and took him and his friend who accompanied the former, outside. Later, Jubilee Hills police arrived and took the duo into custody.
Anantakumar Reddy and his friend, who is said to be a hotelier, went to the gated community and somehow managed to reach the residence of the officer. His friend waited in his car outside while the deputy tahsildar walked up to Smita Sabharwal’s quarter and rang the bell.
Taking to Twitter on Sunday, the senior IAS officer said, “Had this most harrowing experience, a night back when an intruder broke into my house. I had the presence of mind to deal with and save my life. Lessons: no matter how secure you think you are- always check the doors/ locks personally. #Dial100 in an emergency (sic).”
The 48-year-old deputy tahsildar is said to have retweeted a couple of times the tweets of the bureaucrat who is active on social media. The incident happened at around 11.30 pm on Thursday. The incident was kept secret by the police. But it came to light after the bureaucrat tweeted her harrowing experience on Sunday.