Obulesu abducted youth nine months ago at KBR Park: police

‘He extorted Rs. 10 lakh ransom from the grandson of a former Chief Secretary’. Apparently, the successful kidnap for ransom had emboldened Obulesu and drove him to attempt the abduction of Aurobindo Pharma vice president K. Nityananda Reddy.

Police constable Obulesu had extorted Rs. 10 lakh from a youngster after abducting him at gunpoint at KBR Park nine months ago, Hyderabad Police Commissioner M. Mahender Reddy said on Friday.

For some reason, the youngster, grandson of a former Chief Secretary of A.P. Government, didn’t prefer to lodge a complaint. The youth came to the park for morning walk when Obulesu entered the car threatening to kill him with the AK 47 rifle which he had stolen from the Greyhounds armoury at Premavathipet in December, 2013.

He forced the youngster to drive the car towards the Kurnool highway. After reaching Kothur in Mahbubnagar district, he demanded the youngster to pay him Rs. 10 lakh. The youth was set free after he arranged the money through a person, who came there and handed over the cash to the constable.

Random selection of target

Apparently, the successful kidnap for ransom had emboldened Obulesu and drove him to attempt the abduction of Aurobindo Pharma vice president K. Nityananda Reddy. “From stealing the AK 47 rifle to the abduction and firing case, he operated all alone,” the Commissioner said.

With the ransom money, he purchased a Karizma bike, some gold and spent the remaining amount on liquor and trips with friends to exotic places such as Goa. In the two instances, extortion was the motive of Obulesu. He didn’t want to target any specific person. He randomly selected persons using luxury cars.

The Commissioner said he would look into the allegations that the police didn’t vigorously pursue the first kidnap for ransom committed by Obulesu. Explaining how the constable managed to lay hands on AK 47 rifle, Mr. Reddy said Obulesu went to the armoury on December 13 wearing a jacket, though he was on leave.

‘Theft of gun planned’

Hiding the weapon inside the jacket, he walked out without arousing anyone’s suspicion. “The weapon belonged to another team which returned from a field operation in Visakhapatnam. Obulesu’s role in the weapon’s theft was not suspected as the firearm belonged to another team,” Mr. Reddy said.

He took the gun to Kurnool in a bus and buried it in a hillock. “Frequently, he would travel to Kurnool and make sure the weapon was intact,” said the Commissioner. A week before attempting the kidnap of Nityananda Reddy, he brought back the firearm and kept it in his rented house at Narsingi.