The Hindu : Front Page : ‘I fired at Prashant Reddy’

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Sunday, Sep 23, 2007
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‘I fired at Prashant Reddy’

Staff Reporter

Keshava Rao’s son makes shocking confession to police

— File Photo

K. Venkat Rao

HYDERABAD: In a fresh twist to the mysterious death of real estate businessman Prashant Reddy, Congress leader K. Kehava Rao’s son K. Venkat Rao, has confessed to the police that it was he who had shot Reddy dead in his house at Jubilee Hills.

In his confessional statement, copy of which is available with The Hindu, Rao said that he had a dispute with Prashant Reddy over a real estate deal and invited the latter to his house on September 9 to sort it out.

Rao maintained that Reddy told him over phone that two persons -- Khader and Hanumaiah -- and some other mediators would also come there to settle the matter. Around 2.15 p.m., Reddy arrived, discussed the land deal, made calls from his mobile phone and later both of them went to the drawing room on the first floor.

Reddy had consumed three pegs of whisky offered by Rao even as discussion about the land deal continued.

As the issue could not be resolved, Rao became angry and scolded Reddy saying, “you have not kept your promise even after I spent a huge amount on your insistence”.

Rao then picked up his loaded revolver and pointed it at Reddy when the latter too started arguing. Apparently fearing a possible attack, Reddy stood up and moved towards a corner. “As I advanced towards Reddy, he tried to push my hand away with his right hand but I fired at him,” Rao said.

Reddy fell on the sofa hitting his face against its back rest. Later, Rao called his wife Divya and driver Basha and with their help shifted Reddy to Apollo Hospital at Jubilee Hills, where the doctors declared him brought dead. He too got admitted in the same hospital on the pretext of ill-health and cleaned his hands to avoid legal complications.

The confessional statement, secured by media persons on Saturday, was made four days ago even as forensic experts confirmed that the gunshot residue was found on the hands of Reddy suggesting that he shot himself.

No legal validity

Meanwhile, Mr. Rao’s counsel G. Kiran Kumar said the statement, as per law, is not admissible in court and has no legal validity.

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