Sydney-based Telugu-origin dentist Preeti Reddy, whose body was found five days after she went missing, was soon to get married to a Telugu boy from Melbourne, disclosed her family members.
“In fact, she had confirmed to her friends that she would soon move to Melbourne, but this incident has shocked us all,” said a housewife associated with Preeti’s family in Australia.
‘An affable person’
Telugu community elders in Sydney close to the family told The Hindu that Preeti was an affable person who worked closely with the Telugu and Indian community members. She was raised in Australia from the age of five, but completed her Bachelor of Dental Sciences from Manipal in Karnataka. She returned to Australia and passed the local exam in the first attempt to gain eligibility for practice there.
Her relatives have denied any truth to reports of her relationship with Dr. Harsh Narde, saying they were “just friends” since they had worked together in the past. Unlike
Preeti, who was raised there, Dr. Narde went to Australia as a medical professional from Pune. “He was like any Indian boy, very possessive of her, without understanding the environment she was brought up in and literally stalked her,” said the housewife.
Ever since she went missing, the Telugu community in Australia swung into action, creating search teams with volunteers. Finding her dead now, they are in a state of shock.
Cremation delayed
Vinod Elete, a Sydney-based doctor and a senior figure of the Telangana community there, said the police are yet to give a clear picture of her death.
Her cremation may take at least a week till the formalities are completed, while the family is also waiting for relatives to reach Australia from India and the US.