Hyderabad: Twenty six years old veterinarian Priyanka Reddy who had gone missing Wednesday was found dead and burnt Thursday morning about 30 kilometres from Shadnagar, below an underpass, police said. She was on her way from her house in Shadnagar to a veterinary hospital in Kolluru village where she had been working for the past one year.

Police said that Priyanka Reddy was left stranded in Shamshabad after her two-wheeler broke down reportedly suffering a puncture. Her sister Bhavya said that Priyanka had called her around 9.15pm in the evening. She also said that Priyanka had said that someone had offered her a lift to get her flat tyre repaired.

Bhavya also told the police that Priyanka had informed her that she was feeling scared as she was stranded at a spot where there were lot of unknown men and a number of loaded trucks parked. She told the police that she had ask Priyanka to walk to the nearest toll gate and wait there. She had even told Priyanka to abandon the two-wheeler if the need be it.

“I even asked her to come away leaving the vehicle. When I called after some time, her phone was switched off,” Bhavya said.

Priyanka’s badly-burnt body was discovered below the underpass by locals who then informed the police. The family members, who had then already lodged a police complaint, were then asked to come to the place where Priyanka’s body was found. They identified her with the help of a locket she was wearing. The body was handed over to her family after post-mortem.

“We are examining CCTV footage from the area. The police was informed at about 7:30 this morning about the burnt body. We suspect she was doused with kerosene and burnt,”’ Shamshabad DCP Prakash Reddy told reporters.

The police have formed 10 teams to track down those who may have trapped and killed Priyanka. Her vehicle has not yet been found and that could give important clues to the police.

“Whoever has done this needs to be hanged to death,’” said the father, a government employee.

Agencies