Archana Reddy, the affluent landlady hacked to death allegedly by her second husband and his friends last week, had been fearing for her life ever since her marital life came apart on October 31.
A close friend in Kuntla Reddy Layout, near Jigani, told Metrolife about the events leading up to the sensational daylight murder of Archana on December 27.
The 42-year-old Archana was disturbed since she walked out on her husband, Naveen Kumar, on October 31 reportedly after coming to know that he was having an affair with Yuvika Reddy, her daughter from her first marriage.
“She began taking sleeping pills. She had told me several times that Naveen would kill her,” recalls Sujatha (name changed), who had become close to Archana over the past two months.
Archana lost her mother Uma, who stood by her through everything, in November. “Archana was depressed, and took to shopping and eating out in an attempt to cope,” says Sujatha, who accompanied Archana on her shopping binges.
Archana’s worst fears came true when she was waylaid on Hosur Road by Naveen and his friends, who, according to police, were only executing a plot hatched by Yuvika and Naveen.
Like Sujatha, people living in the village, near Anekal, are yet to come to terms with the brutal murder of Archana, who they used to see zipping in and out in different cars every day.
Family history
Archana was the second child of Vishwanath Reddy, who owned large tracts of land in Jigani. Her elder brother Anil lives with his wife in south Bengaluru. The police say Archana and her brother don’t get along. The siblings inherited properties worth about Rs 50 crore.
Older residents of the area, many of whom had bought plots from Vishwanath Reddy, remember the family owned a lot of land. The newer residents only knew of her luxurious lifestyle.
Archana’s house is referred to as ‘Dodda mane’ (big house) in and around Jigani. The bungalow, with a large portico and a sprawling lawn, looked deserted when Metrolife visited it on January 3. The lights were still on in some rooms, and the compound was littered with dry leaves, suggesting that it wasn’t swept and cleaned.
Archana was first married to Aravind, and divorced him in 2013 after he discovered that she had been in a relationship with one Siddiqui. Archana had two children from Aravind — the 21-year-old Yuvika and a son who is 16.
Wealth from land
Archana and her brother had to manage the properties they inherited, and also the many legal disputes that came with it. “Naveen actually got close to Archana after he offered to help her solve a case related to a house in HSR Layout. This is how he won her trust,” a senior policeman says.
After the divorce, Archana fell in love with 33-year-old Naveen, a gym instructor. Archana, her mother Uma, her children, and Naveen lived in ‘Dodda mane’ till October 31, when Archana reportedly discovered that her daughter was having an affair with Naveen.
She confronted the couple and heated arguments ensued, and Naveen allegedly roughed up Archana.
Fateful night
“Late on the evening of October 31, a friend of my teenage daughter came running to my house and said Archana was being thrashed by Naveen. I rushed to her rescue. The same night she went to the police station and registered a case against Naveen. She was terrified and told me that she didn’t want to stay in the house. That night Archana and her mother came over, and they stayed with us for three days,” Sujatha tells Metrolife.
Archana later shifted to a rented house in Bellandur. “I helped her set up her new home and we bought everything for the house from scratch,” says Sujatha. Police had registered an assault case against Naveen on October 31. “Soon after the faceoff with Archana, Naveen and Yuvika decided to move into a rented apartment in HSR layout,” the investigator says.
They were used to a lavish lifestyle in Archana’s house and had difficulty adapting to a bare-bones life. “Naveen earned Rs 36,000 and just the rent came up to Rs 19,000. The two wanted more money,” he explains.
Naveen had allegedly paid his friends Rs 25,000, promising to pay them more after the job was done.
“The friends say they didn’t know he was having an affair with Yuvika. They now claim they would never have supported this had they known the background,” says the officer.
Another neighbour says Archana had grand plans for their ancestral home in Kuntla. “She wanted to revive her father’s real estate business, renovate the house and move in after performing a homa. She dreamt of making her son a police officer and always spoke fondly of her children,” says the neighbour.
Lavish wardrobe, expensive shoes
Archana loved decking herself up. “She had countless earrings, bags and shoes. Before she left home, she made sure she wore matching accessories. Nothing would ever be out of place,” says a neighbour.
A few days before she was murdered, Archana went shopping with her neighbour and splurged about Rs 30,000 on stoneware and oxidised jewellery. “She always got her salwar sets stitched and never bought anything readymade,” says her neighbour.
Killed in teen son’s presence
Archana Reddy was hacked to death on December 27 when she had gone to Jigani with her 16-year-old son to cast her vote in the municipal corporation elections. She was returning in her car when 10 men, allegedly led by Naveen, ambushed her. The assailants attacked Archana with machetes after smashing the window of the car. She died on the spot. Investigators say her daughter Yuvika used WhatsApp and tracked her live location to tip off the killers.
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