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Hyderabad couple marries against parents’ wishes, wife’s family kills husband

Avanthi Reddy alleged that her father was behind her husband’s kidnapping and murder

A 28-year old man in the city of Hyderabad in India’s Telangana state was allegedly abducted and killed by his wife’s family on September 25, as they disapproved of their marriage.

The Cyberabad Police have arrested 14 people, including the parents of the woman, and 10 other family members in connection to the murder, local media reported.

The victim, Hemanth Kumar, who was an interior designer, was his wife, Avanthi Reddy’s neighbour in the suburb of Chandanagar and the couple had known each other for eight years.

The police said they got married on June 10 this year at the Sub-registrar Office against their parents’ wishes.

The police said that Reddy’s relatives had hired killers to murder her husband as they disapproved of their marriage. The family hired Yugender Reddy, the main accused in the case, along with their driver Shaik Pathan to execute the plan, local media reported.

“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 (DCP) M. Venkateshwarlu told Indian news outlets.

“On their way, Avanthi escaped, whereas Kumar was taken away by Guduru Yugender Reddy, Minpur Buchi Yadav, Krishna, and Pasha,” the police official added.

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

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

In her complaint, Avanthi 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 was quoted as saying.

“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.

Avanthi reportedly told local media that she suspects her father to be behind the murder.

“I am yet to come to terms with what has happened,” Avanthi told media. “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,” she added.