Freed hostage recalls torture, spurns talk of secret wedding in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: A day after the rescue of the BDS student, Vaishali, from clutches of her captors, 31 mobsters who vandalized her Adibatla residence were arrested, but key accused Naveen is still on the run and has been charged with attempt to murder, kidnapping and other sections of IPC.
Vaishali, who was found dishevelled and disturbed after being traced in the city suburbs late Friday, gathered the gumption to sit for the IELTS exam on Saturday morning, despite the overnight trauma.Rachakonda police said, the mob led by Naveen vandalised Vaishali’s house on her engagement day and dragged her down the house and whisked her away in a car. Naveen owns a beverage retail chain, Mr Tea.

After the rescue operation, a war of words sparked off between families of Vaishali and Naveen. While the accused's family members said the duo had married secretly on August 4, 2021, at a Bapatla temple in Andhra Pradesh, but kept the betrothal under wraps, Vaishali’s family junked these claims. A few months ago, Naveen had filed a private complaint in LB Nagar court, claiming Vaishali was his legally wedded wife, but was forcibly kept away from him by her family.
Talking to reporters, Vaishali’s father, Damodar Reddy, said, “Naveen has been spreading lies and his marriage claim was false. On August 4, when Naveen claimed to have married my daughter, she underwent dental surgery at Army Dental College and we have documents to prove it.”
Rachakonda police said, these claims will be verified during the course of investigation. “We cannot reach a conclusion on an accused’s statement. The victim’s statement is key and we will be talking to her soon,” said a senior police official.
A preliminary probe showed both families had cordial ties and had gone on a holiday together. However, Damodar Reddy said, “We were not keen on the jaunt as I did not know Naveen’s family well.”
Naveen’s mother Narayanamma agreed her son erred by going on the rampage, but alleged Vaishali’s family had played with her son’s emotions by making him believe she will marry him. “The damage done by Vaishali’s family is severe. They exploited my son financially and emotionally and later refused to honour their promise, she said.