Hyd: Pharma company official foils abduction bid by armed man

, Nov 19: High drama unfolded at a park in the plush Banjara Hills area here today when an unidentified man, armed with an AK-47 rifle, made a vain bid to abduct a top official of a city-based pharma company.

As Vice-Chairman of Aurobindo Pharma, K Nityananda Reddy, resisted the abduction bid, bullets went off in the scuffle but nobody was hurt, police said. The weapon used by the accused was the same that was lost by anti-naxal force Grey Hounds in December last year.

As soon as Reddy got into his car after a morning walk at Kasu Brahmananda Reddy park at around 7.15 am, the attacker entered from the other door and pointed the AK-47 rifle at him and demanded money, they added. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Banjara Hills, Uday Kumar Reddy said, "One person tried to kidnap him (Reddy). However, he resisted his attempt.

Following this, there was a scuffle between Reddy and the attacker and the rifle went off in the air and also the windscreen of his car. At least 10-12 rounds were fired from the AK 47 weapon during the scuffle." Making a statement on the incident in the state Assembly today, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said, "When the victim resisted, there was a scuffle, in which the bullets went off the fire arm into the air breaking the wind shield. Meanwhile, Prasad Reddy, Nityananda's younger brother, came to rescue him and tried to catch the assailant, who injured Prasad by biting his hand and escaped from the scene, leaving the rifle in the car."

"It has been established that the weapon AK-47 was lost from Grey Hounds (the elite anti-naxal force) on December 26, 2013 and a case was registered at Narsingi police station under Sections 408 and 380 of IPC on February 3, 2014," the Chief Minister added.

Talking to reporters about the incident, Nityananda said, "Suddenly this man came and threatened me with the gun. I tried to catch hold of the weapon and also shouted for help. My brother came and tried to catch him. The person fired some four rounds at my car before fleeing." Asked if he had received any threats or extortion demands earlier, he replied in the negative. Hyderabad Police Commissioner M Mahender Reddy, who visited the site of offence, said, "Who did it and how it happened will be known once the probe is over...the motive will come out soon."

PTI