The Hyderabad police today arrested one more accused in
the sensational Bowenpally kidnapping case.
The police arrested Madala Siddartha, allegedly the mastermind behind the kidnapping of businessman and former badminton player Praveen Rao and his two brothers.
Siddartha, a henchman of
prime accused former minister Bhuma Akhila Priya's husband Bhargav Ram, is an event manager, and had used his contacts to gather the 20 other people who were involved in the abduction. He had reportedly also provided his car, a Swift Desire, for the crime.
Revealing the details of the matter, Hyderabad Commissioner of Police Anjani Kumar said that one of the other accused, Guntur Srinu, had contacted Siddhartha and explained the plan to the latter.
"Srinu then asked him to gather 15-20 boys to execute the plan, and promised to give him Rs 5 lakh for the work. He had promised also to pay each of the boys Rs 25,000. We have been able to trace payments worth Rs 74,000 that he made to Siddartha on different dates," Kumar said.
The CP added that it was Srinu who had arranged accommodation for Siddartha and his gang in At Home Lodge, located near the Forum Mall in Kukatpally, and had arranged the formal clothes that were worn by the gang during the abduction. (The gang had posed as IT officials so that they could enter the Raos' house.)
Kumar also said that the arrested persons would be produced in court for a judicial remand hearing.
Meanwhile, the police are still tracing the remaining accused, including Priya's husband Bhargav Ram.
The three Rao brothers had been
kidnapped from their Bowenpally residence on January 5. The evidence gathered so far suggests that the kidnapping was the result of an ugly property dispute between the former minister and the Rao brothers.