Jaipals niece murdered, confirm doctors

HYDERABAD: Petroleum Minister S Jaipal Reddy’s niece Dr Kiran Reddy was murdered, doctors who conducted the autopsy confirmed on Monday, a day after her father Raghottam Reddy lodged a complaint with the police suspecting the hand of her husband behind her death.A six-member forensic team from the Gandhi Hospital concluded that it was a case of murder but were not sure of how she was killed.While one opined that Dr Kiran might have been poisoned, another suggested she could have been smothered to death.Investigators probing the case, meanwhile, said the victim was in an inebriated condition at the time of her death. A dermatologist, 26- year-old Kiran Reddy was found dead in her room at her residence at Nyaya Vihar in Bharani Layout on Road No 78, Jubilee Hills early Saturday.She was married to Dr Chaitanya Reddy. Her father had lodged a police complaint on Sunday suspecting her husband following which the police turned the case into that of a murder. Officials associated with the investigation told Express that Chaitanya and Kiran had gone for a bachelor’s party of a relative on Friday evening.“Both consumed alcohol and returned home late in the night,” Jubilee Hills inspector of police K Narsinga Rao said, adding that subsequently both slept in different rooms on the first floor as Chaitanya had a habit of snoring.Chaitanya’s brother, Nitin Reddy, who was deserted by his wife just a month after marriage, was on the second floor that ill-fated night. Police are probing his role too.The motive for murder, however, remains a mystery with even Raghottam Reddy telling the police that he did not suspect that his daughter had been harassed for dowry or on any other issue. Asked if Chaitanya was questioned, the inspector answered in the affirmative. “Chaitanya told us there were absolutely no problems in their relationship,” he said.According to the investigators, only the part between Kiran’s forehead and nose had turned blue. “Normally, if one is poisoned, the entire body turns blue but in this case it was only partial,” they said, adding that the postmortem report alone could throw light on the manner of her death. The report will come by Thursday as the forensic team is still examining photographs and video-footage of the body. DGP K Aravinda Rao also echoed the same views when he said forensic report was crucial.