Hyderabad man killed allegedly by wife’s family over inter-caste marriage, 14 arrested

A 28-year old man in Hyderabad was allegedly abducted and killed for marrying a woman from a different caste, the police said on Friday, The Indian Express reported. The Cyberabad Police have arrested 14 people, including the parents of the woman, and 10 other members of her family in connection with the murder.

Hemanth Kumar, who belonged to the Vysya community, was an interior designer. His wife, Avanthi belonged to the Reddy community. Both of them lived in the same locality in Chandanagar and had known one another for eight years. The police said they got married on June 10 this year at the Sub-registrar Office in Quthbullapur against their parents’ wishes and knowledge.

The police said that Avanthi Reddy’s relatives had hired killers to murder her husband Hemanth Kumar as they were unhappy with their alliance. The family hired one Yugender Reddy, the main accused in the case, along with their driver Shaik Pathan to execute the plan.

“As per their plan, all the accused persons went to the house of the deceased in three cars and forcibly kidnapped Avanthi and Hemanth Kumar,” Madhapur District Commissioner of Police M Venkateshwarlu told The Indian Express. “On their way, Avanthi got down and escaped, whereas Kumar was taken away by Guduru Yugender Reddy, Minpur Buchi Yadav, Krishna, and Md Pasha.”

The accused then strangulated Kumar to death around 7.30 in the evening on the outskirts of Kistaigudem village in Sangareddy district, the DCP added. His body was found abandoned by the national highway in the nearby Sangareddy district.

The police added that based on Avanthi Reddy’s complaint, a case was registered against all 18 people under various sections of the Indian Penal Code relating to criminal conspiracy, murder and kidnapping, among other charges.

In her complaint, Avanthi Reddy said that around 10 people stormed into her house and forced the couple into a car, claiming they wanted them to meet her parents.

“When the vehicle took a left towards the Outer Ring Road, instead of a right towards my parents’ home, we knew something was wrong,” she said. “We did not feel safe and jumped out of the car. Hemanth was roughed up and taken away in one car. I ran for my life.”

She added that she suspected her father to be behind the murder, according to The News Minute.

“I am yet to come to terms with what has happened,” Avanthi Reddy told reporters. “Whatever has happened to me will haunt me for the rest of my life...Whoever is involved should be severely punished so that no other girl meets my fate.”

The arrested members of Avanthi Reddy’s family include her parents – Donthireddy Laxma Reddy (54), and Donthireddy Archana (44) – along with Guduru Yugender Reddy, Guduru Vijender Reddy, Ardham Ranjith Reddy, Ardham Rakesh Reddy, Keesari Rajitha, Yellu Santhosh Reddy, Kaila Sandeep Reddy, Ardham Spandana, Yellu Swapna, and Guduru Sandeep Reddy. Besides them, four people are still absconding and efforts are underway to nab them, the police said.