In a suspected case of honour killing, a 26-year-old interior designer was allegedly kidnapped and murdered by his wife’s family members on Thursday evening at Kistaiahguda of Sangareddy district.
The youngster, Hemnath, was in a relationship with Avanthi Reddy, 23, an engineering graduate, for about eight years, and the couple got married at Sub-Registrar officer, Quthbullapur, on June 11 this year, against the wish of her family members.
After their marriage, Hemanth and Avanti were living in a rented house at TNGO’s Colony, Gachibowli. Their parents live in Chandanagar.
On Thursday, Avanthi’s parents, Laxma Reddy and Archana Reddy, along with her maternal uncles Vijayender Reddy, Yugandhar Reddy and other family members, came to the couple’s house for talks. “Around 2.30, Hemanth phoned his parents informing them about the sudden visit of her relatives and asked them to come to his house at the earliest,” Madhapur in-charge DCP M Venkateshwarlu told The Hindu.
By the time Hemanth’s parents Murali and Laxmi Rani reached TNGO’s Colony, they had forced the young couple into a car saying that they were being taken to Avanthi’s parents’ house at Chandanagar, the officer said.
Murali and his wife saw the cars, alerted police and followed their trail.
“When the car headed towards Outer Ring Road, the young couple managed to jump out of the moving car near Gopanpally Tanda crossroad. They started running barefoot. In the meantime, her uncle Yugandhar Reddy whisked away Hemanth in the car and took him towards Sangareddy,” Mr. Venkateshwarlu said.
Soon, the police reached the spot and took the woman’s family members into custody. They registered a kidnapping case and launched a search operation for Hemanth. “Around 3.30 a.m. on Friday, Yugandhar Reddy, who was picked up from Shamirpet, told us that he, along with two others, tied Hemanth’s hand, throttled him to death and dumped the body near Kistaiahguda in Sangareddy,” the officer said.
Based on his confession, teams were sent to the spot to identify and recover the body, which was later shifted to Osmania General Hospital morgue for autopsy.
The victim’s mother Laxmi Rani alleged that Avanthi’s family members killed her son only because of ‘caste feeling’ and financial status.
“Though we belong to an upper caste, we are not rich when compared with their (accused) family,” she said, while waiting for her son’s body at OGH morgue.
She said that even after the marriage, Avanthi’s father used to call and threaten to kill her son. “We always thought he was angry with them as they got married against their will and the issue would pacify in a few months, but never imagined that he would really kill my son,” she said.
“My father, uncles and other family members brutally killed my husband. I will never forgive them,” Ms. Avanthi said.
She said that when they jumped out of the moving car, the passers-by did not bother to help her even though she was running and screaming on the road.
“Everyone saw us, but no one reacted. They did not stop my uncle who was taking Hemanth in a car,” she said, adding that the police reached the spot only after 40 to 50 minutes from the time they reported the offence.
Mr. Venkateshwarlu said that so far 13 people, including car driver Sahid Patel were taken into custody.