A horrifying murder shook Hyderabad on Friday, where a 28-year-old man was murdered allegedly by his wife's relatives. Yoga Hemanth Kumar, a contract interior designer and resident of TNGO Colony was abducted by a group of around ten people, according to his mother, from his residence on Friday. His body was later found in Sangareddy. The police have so far arrested his wife Avanti's father Laxma Reddy, and 12 others in connection with the case.
Avanti Reddy, 23, told the media that she suspects her father’s involvement in the murder. On Thursday afternoon, Avanti and Hemanth were cooking when a group of men, allegedly Avanti’s uncle and several men he had hired, entered her house in TNGO Colony, Gachibowli. The men forced her to pack her bags and began beating Hemanth. They had arrived in three cars, and the couple was dragged into one of them. While Avanti managed to jump out of the car and escape, the abductors took Hemanth with them, she explained.
“After getting into the car, I jumped out of it. When I tried calling my father and he did not pick up, but he was responding to my uncle’s calls, which means he knew everything and was doing this on purpose,” Avanti told the media.
Hemanth’s parents filed a missing persons complaint with the Gachibowli police station on Thursday night. Hemanth’s body was found in Krishnapur mandal of Sangareddy by the Gachibowli Police. Police said that he was hacked to death when they found him at an empty plot.
Hemanths’ family was taken to the Sangareddy in the early hours on Friday to identify his body. His body was shifted to Osmania General Hospital, where the autopsy was conducted. Hemanth’s mortal remains are currently in the hospital’s mortuary.
While Hemanth is from the Vaishya community, Avanti – his wife – is from the Reddy community. Both the Vaishya and the Reddy communities are forward caste communities in Telangana. Hemanth’s family alleged that Avanti’s family did not want her to get married to a person from any caste other than Reddy.
Hemanth and Avanti, who were neighbours, fell in love eight years ago. In December last year, Avanti’s parents learned of the relationship and allegedly objected to her being with a man from another caste.
“They have killed my son because we belong to the Vaishya community. They had told us earlier that they want their daughter to get married only to a person from the Reddy community, even if the person is a clerk,” Hemanth’s mother told the media.
When Avanti’s parents learned of the relationship, they did not allow her to step outside the house. Hemanth’s father Murali said that Avanti’s parents were trying to get her married to another man and that they started looking for marriage alliances during the seven months she was grounded.
“She managed to escape and they got married on June 11. Soon, the marriage was certified. They knew there was trouble from Avanti’s father so they went to the Commissioner of Police, Sajjanar, and told him about the issue. The Chandanagar Police intervened and held a counselling, where the case was settled,” Murali said.
Avanti’s father Laxma Reddy had filed a missing persons complaint in Chandanagar Police Station back then. When the couple returned to Hyderabad, Avanti informed the police that she had not been abducted and that she eloped to get married, Madhapur DCP M Venkateshwarlu said.
In the settlement, Avanti signed over the properties that were registered in her name to her father as a condition for being free to live with Hemanth. The couple shifted to TNGO Colony, where they were living together after the wedding.
“Even after that, the woman’s uncles Yugander Reddy, Sanjith Reddy, her father and mother used to talk to her regularly over the phone,” M Venkateshwarlu added.
Around 2.30 pm on Thursday, Avanti’s uncles came along with several men to her residence allegedly on the pretext of speaking with her.
“When we thought everything was fine, suddenly three cars came and took the couple from our home. She managed to jump out of the car. When my son tried to do the same, they pulled him back, he was even calling me ‘daddy daddy’, which was the last time I heard his voice,” Hemanth’s father said with tears in his eyes.
The police said that the men abducted Hemanth and soon, they received a call from Avanti about her husband’s abduction. When the abductors reached Gopannapalli, Hemanth allegedly managed to escape. However, the police said that Yugander Reddy – Avanti's uncle – who was in the car, followed Hemanth and captured him again.
“By that time we were already looking for Hemanth near the Ring Road and nearby places. The patrol van went through Patancheruvu and later Outer Ring Road and reached Sangareddy, where the body was found. The police have so far arrested Avanti's father Laxma Reddy and 12 others in connection with the case.” DCP M Venkateshwarulu said.
Hemanth’s mother, who was inconsolable, said that she strongly suspects Avanti’s father’s hand in her son’s murder. “They are very rich people. But we don't have properties like they have. We brought up our son with our hard earned money and now they have killed him,” she said.
The Gachibowli Police have registered a an FIR under sections 302 (murder), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 365 (punishment for abduction) and 452 (trespassing) of the Indian Penal Code.