Hyderabad: In an incident that could acquire political colour, M. Tirupathi Reddy, a BJP leader from Kushaiguda, was allegedly kidnapped in broad daylight by unidentified persons near the tahsildar office at Alwal on Thursday afternoon. According to his family members, the kidnap could be the handiwork of some BRS leaders, enjoying the patronage of the local legislator, who were putting pressure on him to divert his land to them, which he was unwilling to do.
He had gone to the tahsildar office for land related work, when he went missing, leaving his car and driver near the office. Alwal police registered a case and started an investigation.
Meanwhile, his wife Sujatha told the police that they have land at Pathalakunta near Alwal and they were under extreme pressure from BRS leaders to leave the land to them as they were adjacent to the lands that they owned. However, Reddy was not willing to oblige and declined all offers from the opposite party.
"My husband’s mobile has been switched off for the last 24 hours. We are worried for his safety, "she said.
Apparently, he feared a threat to his life for the past 10 days. He reportedly told his wife that the opposite party could harm him physically.
His brother Karunakar Reddy said that police have shown some footage. In one frame, the movement of his brother’s car was quite clear while in another frame that was blurry and unclear, the police claimed that his brother was taking an auto-rickshaw. He alleged the role of BRS party men behind the ‘kidnap’.
ACP Petbasheerabad V.V.S. Ramalinga Raju said that special teams have been deputed to trace the BJP leader. However, there was no clue that indicated that he was taken away forcefully. Later, it was found that Tirupathi was seen alighting from an auto-rickshaw at Gachibowli.
Meanwhile, extending support to Reddy, BJYM national treasurer and RTI activist P.M. Saiprasad alleged that Malkajgiri MLA Mynampally Hanumantha Rao was behind the kidnap.
"The MLA brazenly assaults innocents and grabs their lands. This is no different from Razakars looting our ancestors earlier. Rao heads a syndicate of land grabbers and goons," Saiprasad said.
In a sharp reaction, Hanumantha Rao said that he was being dragged into the issue with a malafide intention and that he would take legal recourse against those making the allegations.
"Tirupathi is characterless and is involved in several cases in the area. I am going to bring out all his dubious records and expose his shady side," Rao said.
