An unknown assailant opened fire at Nityananda Reddy, vice-chairman of Aurobindo Pharma Company near KBR National Park in heart of Hyderabad city on Wednesday.
"Nityananda Reddy had a providential escape in the incident. The assailant managed to flee from the scene", Hyderabad Police Commissioner K Mahinder Reddy told the media. His car was however damaged in the incident.
Additional police forces were rushed to the park to undertake search operations as the eight recovered bullet shells suggested that the assailants had used an AK-47 rifle in the attack.
According to the police, the moment Nityananda Reddy boarded his car, an assailant also forced his way into the car and tried to abduct him at the point of his AK-47 rifle. When Reddy tried to snatch the rifle, the assailant opened fire and the bullets shattered the windows of the car. Meanwhile, Nityananda Reddy's brother Prasad Reddy, who was alarmed by the sound of firing, rushed there and tried to nab the intruder but he fled from the scene leaving the weapon behind.
The incident created a stir as KBR National Park is a popular haunt for morning walkers, especially many top political leaders and Government officials. "We have ordered a probe in to the matter to find out whether the offence was committed for extortion of money or there was some other motive", the Commissioner said.
Nityananda Reddy said that the assailant was unknown to him. "If I see him again, I can identify him", he said. "I don't have enmity with anybody. The incident has left me confused", he said.
Nityananda, one of the accused in the disproportionate assets case of YSR Congress president Jaganmohan Reddy said, "The youth was 32-34 year old. But I don't know who he was. I was returning from the park after morning walk when he opened fire". Before the scuffle, Nityananda Reddy also offered money to the assailant to persuade him to leave the place peacefully.
Meanwhile, the matter took another turn as the preliminary probe revealed that the AK-47 rifle belongs to the Greyhounds, the elite anti-Naxalite force which had gone missing in February this year. Greyhounds had lodged a complaint with the Narsingi Police Station near Hyderabad that Reserve Inspector R Ganapathi had lost his rifle while travelling. Forensic experts from the State Forensic laboratory also visited the scene of the offence and confirmed that an AK-47 was used in the attack.