Telangana cops hunt for ex-AP minister s husband, other absconding accused in kidnap case

The Telangana Police intensifiedefforts to nab former Andhra Pradesh minister Bhuma AkhilaPriyas husband and other absconding accused in the kidnap ofa former badminton player and his two brothers here over aland dispute, a senior official said onThursday.

Police teams have been sent to Andhra Pradesh andKarnataka as part of the operations to nab them, a day afterpolice rescued the trio abandoned by their abductors, theofficial said.

A group of around 15 people posing as Income Taxsleuths, with fake search warrants entered the house ofPraveen, a former national badminton player, at Bowenpally onthe night of January 5 on the pretext of conducting a raid andabducted him and his two brothers after locking up otherfamily members in a room.

They took Praveen and his brothers to a farmhouse butlater abandoned them at Narsingi here early Wedesday afterpolice intensified search to locate them. Police later rescuedthe trio from there.

Police said preliminary investigation revealed that theaccused, including Priya, who was on Wednesday arrested, andher absconding husband Bhargava Ram and others allegedlyplanned and executed the kidnap following a dispute withPraveen over a 25-acre land located at Hafeezpet here.

Akhila Priya and her husband are the main conspirators.

They hired a few people and got it (kidnap) executed throughthem, a senior police official told PTI, adding based oninvestigation so far, the gang members were from AndhraPradesh.

The abductors also took signatures on some documents andblank papers from the trio, family members of Praveen said.

Priya presently in judicial custody and lodged in a jailhere, has been named as the first accused in the remand reportby the police, the official said.

Meanwhile, Priya, a former Andhra Pradesh TourismMinister in the previous TDP regime, moved a bail applicationin a local court which has been posted for Friday.

A petition seeking police custody of her for furtherinterrogation will be filed, the official said.

The investigation disclosed that Praveen had purchasedthe land in 2016 but the accused Subba Reddy, Priya and herhusband started claiming the land.

Priyaalong with her husband and other accused plannedand organised the abductionin order to extort money and theproperty from them, police added.