Gunman opens fire from AK-47 on top executive in Hyderabad

Hyderabad:In a sensa-tional incident, an uniden-tified person opened fire from an AK-47 on a top executive of a pharma company in high-security KBR Park here on Wednes-day morning.
Aurobindo Pharma director and vice-chairman K. Nityananda Reddy esca-ped unhurt in the attack, police said.The attacker fled the scene, leaving behind his gun and a bag. Nitya-nanda Reddy also opened fire from his pistol to counter the attack.
The incident took place around 7 a.m. when Nitya-nanda Reddy returned to his Audi car after a morning walk in the park. The gunman, who was sitting in the car, apparently tried to kidnap Reddy.Nityananda Reddy told reporters that he held the attacker’s gun and in the scuffle he fired four rounds.
He shouted for help and meanwhile his brother Shivananda Reddy also reached there. They tried to catch hold of the assailant, who fired few more rounds, damaging the window panes of the car. Faced with stiff resistance, the assailant fled the scene, leaving beh-ind his weapon and a bag.
Senior police officials along with dog squads and ballistic experts from forensic laboratory rushed to the scene and launched investigations. They gathe-red several clues and also recovered bullets and empty shells. The police have taken the incident seriously as an AK-47 was used by the assailant.
Hyderabad Police Com-missioner Mahender Reddy, who visited the scene, said the rifle was missing since January this year from a commando of Greyhounds, the elite anti-Maoist force.
The police are probing the incident from all angles including the possibility of involvement of a Maoist or a former Maoist. The motive of the attacker is also still not clear.
The  officials were gathe-ring information from Nityanan-da Reddy and his brother and also analyzing the footage from CCTV cameras installed at the nearby traf-fic signal and at the office of Telugu Desam Party to identify the attacker.
The incident sent panic among VIPs who throng the famous park for their daily morning walk. Politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen, film actors and other celebrities frequent the park.(IANS)