A convict on the run was on Saturday arrested for the brutal attack on a woman at an ATM kiosk in Bengaluru in 2013.
Madhukar Reddy, 35, a native of Nimmanapalli, had roamed around in Cubbon Park on November 19, 2013, before following bank employee Jyothi Uday into a kiosk and attacking her.
Police in Madanapalle finally caught him, ending a massive manhunt that had left investigators baffled and frustrated.
Information had reached the police that a man matching the description of Jyothi’s assailant had been frequenting Madanapalle, a town in Chittoor district. Police suspect Reddy has committed at least four murders. He had been given a life term for the murder of Reddyvari Anandareddy of Thamballapalle in 2005. He escaped from captivity in 2011.
During interrogation on Saturday, police realised they had on their hands a dangerous man with a record of violent crimes.
Bengaluru case
On November 19, 2013, Jyothi entered an ATM near the BBMP head office in Bengaluru to withdraw money. She was planning to use the cash to buy a birthday gift for her child. A man pulled down the shutter, and attacked her with a machete. She spent many months in hospital.
Presenting Reddy before the media in Chittoor, G Srinivas, superintendent of police, said Madhukar Reddy, a native of Diguvapalli, had brutally attacked hospital attendant Narayana at an arrack shop in Jadcherla in 2013.
He had also robbed and murdered an elderly woman in Dharmavaram. He used her debit card to withdraw Rs 3,500 from an ATM in Kadiri. Chittoor police matched CCTV footage from that crime with footage from Bengaluru, police said. Reddy then shifted his base to Bengaluru. “He told us he had spent two days without food, wandering about in Cubbon Park. When he saw Jyothi going to the ATM, he attacked her,” Srinivas said.
When the video of his crime hit national television, he tonsured his head and escaped to Ernakulum, Kerala.
After a year, he returned to Andhra Pradesh, and spent time moving between Peeleru, Madanapalle and Proddutur in the Chittoor region. “We have to ascertain whether he has committed more crimes in the past three years,” Srinivas said. Police suspect Reddy murdered another elderly woman in Peeleru in 2014.
Reddy is likely to be shifted to Kadapa jail. He is married, with no children. He was staying with his grandmother in his native village.
Painful ailment did him in
Reddy, who had evaded the Andhra Pradesh police for six years, was finally caught because of his painful ailment.
He was undergoing treatment for varicose veins, and was planning to rob jewellery shops in Madanapalle to meet the expenses of his treatment, police said.
After his escape in 2011, police had formed a team and were keeping an eye out for him. Reddy was arrested and put in jail in Kadapa after he was convicted of murder of a fellow-villager in 2005.
He had fought with the victim over irrigation water. Reddy had been admitted to hospital in Kadapa in December 2013; he escaped from there.
Police said Reddy needed money to repay his loans, and believed he was an expert at robbing elderly women.
DH News Service
Team sent to AP: Sood
Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Praveen Sood said, “The Andhra Pradesh police have arrested a person named Madhukar Reddy who is believed to be involved in the ATM attack case in November 2013. The Bengaluru police will take him into custody to investigate further. We have sent a team to Andhra Pradesh.”
Punish him severely: Jyothi
Expressing happiness over the arrest of her assailant Madhukar Reddy, Jyothi Uday said even three years after the incident, she was still traumatised.
Talking to reporters on Saturday night, Jyothi said no one should undergo the trauma she had undergone. She extended her gratitude to the police for arresting Reddy. She said such people should never be let out and should be punished severely.
JyothiUday, Corporation Bankemployee, was Bengaluru victim
2013
7 am, Nov 19: Jyothi Uday goes to Corporation Bank ATM near N R Square
Machete wielding man enters ATM, downs shutter, attacks her
Attacker, Madhukar Reddy, makes way with cash
Grievous injuries leaves Jyothi unconscious
Passersby see blood coming out of ATM and alert police
Case registered at Silver Jubilee Park police station
Nov 20: Special team led by then Joint Commissioner Pranob Mohanty formed
Nov 28: Teams dispatched to AP, TN and Kerala drew blank
Dec 20: Jyothi discharged from hospital
Feb 14: Jyothi, a manager at Corporation Bank branch on Mission road, attends office
2014
Nov 29: Police announce reward of Rs 10 lakh for info on Reddy
Advts issued in several local TV channels
Over 40,000 pamphlets distributed with assailant’s video grab
Rs 3,20,000 spent on tracking Reddy
2016
Nov 19: Police file C report - undetected case
