Bowenpally Kidnap: Siddharth Recruited Bouncers From Vijayawada For Akhila Priya

HYDERABAD: Bowenpally police on Saturday arrested 15 more persons in connection with kidnap case where former TDP minister Bhuma Akhila Priya is the main accused.

Interesting details are coming forth from the investigation of the kidnap case, where Praveen Rao and his two brothers, said to be closely related to the Telangana CM KCR's PA, were kidnapped in a rather dramatic way on January 6  in connection  with a land dispute in Hafeezpet in Hyderabad.

With these arrests the total number of people arrested so far has gone up to 19 including the TDP leader. Police say that nine more people are to be arrested.

Those who were arrested were the people who went to Praveen Rao's house disguised as income tax officials on the day of the kidnapping. As per details one person named Siddharth from Vijayawada who in agreement with another accused and a close associate of Bhuma Akhila Priya Guntur Seenu  sent these men as per an agreement. Siddharth was also arrested, police said. That  stated that when Akhila Priya served as a minister while the Telugu Desam Party she was living in both  Hyderabad and Bangalore.  Every time she went to Vijayawada she is said to have had a troupe of men as bodyguards with her.

Whenever Akhila Priya visited Vijayawada and Amaravati, Guntur Seenu was the one who was responsible for mobilizing these men. He was acquainted with Siddharth, who was running a manpower consultancy in Vijayawada. More than,  20 people  would be part of the posse who watched over her and were apparently paid Rs 1,000 per person on a daily basis.

Akhila Priya and  her husband Bhargav Ram, who allgedly conspired to kidnap the three brothers, told Siddharth through Guntur Seenu to set up bouncers on  rental basis to act as income tax officers. They are said to have given an advance of Rs 50,000 and promised to pay a huge amount once the matter was settled. With this, Siddharth sent about 20 people from various colonies in Vijayawada and lodged them at  Partha Grand Hotel in Kukatpally. Bhargav Ram is said to have guided them on how to act as IT officers and police officers at the MGM School in Yousufguda.

Once the kidnapping was over some of them left for Vijayawada and few others after the victims were let off near  Narsingi at the ORR Road.  

Hyderabad Police have arrested 15 people, including Siddharth, in connection with the incident.

Akhila Priya's PA Boya Sampath Kumar, Bhargav Ram's personal aide Nagaradoddi Mallikarjun Reddy, and driver Doorlu Bala Chennayya were taken into custody by the police on January 11.

 Bhargav Ram  and Guntur Sreenu are still on the run along with the remaining accused.  It is believed that  Guntur Seenu had played a key role in the high voltage kidnap drama and his arrest would lead to crucial information. Special Teams have been sent to neighbouring states of Goa and Karnataka to apprehend them.

Meanwhile Akhila Priya whose police custody ended on January 14th has been sent to judicial custody and is currently  lodged in Chanchalguda jail. Police produced her before a magistrate at his residence after medical examination at the Primary Health Centre in Begumpet and also at Gandhi Hospital. Various tests, including for COVID-19, were conducted at the two facilities. Police have also clarified that she was not pregnant as stated by several media and that she had suffered fits, but was treated in the hospital. They also stated that she was fine and needed no medical aid.