Woman masterminds husband’s kidnap for property

The Amberpet police on Tuesday cracked a kidnap-for-ransom case involving a woman who plotted the abduction of her husband to usurp his properties and extort money.

According to the police, the accused, identified as 51-year-old M. Madhavi Latha of Bandlaguda Jagir, orchestrated the abduction of her husband, Mantri Shyam, with the help of nine others. Police seized three cars along with two two-wheelers, six mobile phones and other evidence connected to the case.

The case unfolded on October 29 when the Amberpet police received a missing-person complaint from a woman, who reported that her husband, Shyam, was abducted by unknown persons from DD Colony. The police registered a kidnapping case, formed special teams, and launched a detailed investigation using technical data.

On October 31, Shyam managed to escape from his captors and was later traced by police at Banjara Hills. During questioning, he revealed that his wife, Madhavi Latha had allegedly hired a group led by one Vundy Durga Vinay, 32, and Katta Durga Prasad, 32, to first spy on him and later abduct him for ransom.

Later, on October 29, Vinay and Durga along with Katamoni Purushotham, 31, Sandolu Naresh Kumar, 29, G. Preethi, 34, L. Saritha, 32, Khoshakolu Pavan Kumar, 25, Narayana Rishikesh Singh, 23 and Pilli Vinay, 29 and four other accused, who currently remain at large, kidnapped the victim from DD Colony.

Investigations revealed that Madhavi Latha had promised the gang ₹1 crore to carry out the abduction. The kidnappers took Shyam to Vijayawada, where they demanded ₹10 lakh for his release. The following day, they brought him back to Hyderabad to withdraw the ransom from a bank in Banjara Hills, but he managed to escape before any money changed hands.

Police said Madhavi Latha’s motive was to gain control over her husband’s assets by obtaining his signatures and, ultimately, kill him. She, along with her co-conspirators, allegedly planned the abduction at meetings in Bandlaguda and at a popular mall in Banjara Hills. The gang rented a flat adjacent to the victim’s residence, kept him under surveillance for several days, and executed the kidnap on the evening of October 29.

Efforts are under way to trace the remaining accused.