02 February,2010 12:41 PM IST | | IANS
A top businessman in Andhra Pradesh's Vijayawada city died following cardiac arrest Tuesday, just hours after his 10-year-old kidnapped daughter was found murdered.
Palagani Prabhakara Rao, who was in the liquor, real estate and finance business, died at a hospital in Vijayawada, where he had been admitted after hearing the news of his daughter's killing.
The body of Naga Vaishnavi was found in a boiler of a foundry on the outskirts of Guntur town, about 50 km from Vijayawada, Monday evening. She had been kidnapped in Vijayawada Saturday by three unidentified men while she was on her way to school in a car. The car driver was stabbed to death.
Rao's 14-year-old son Sai Tejesh, who was in the car too, managed to escape. The attackers fled in the car with Vaishnavi.
Vijayawada City Police Commissioner K.V. Rajendranarth told reporters that police found the skeleton of the abducted girl. Police suspect that she was murdered within hours after the kidnap.
The double tragedy sent shock waves across the state. Chief Minister K. Rosaiah has declared that the culprits would not be spared. He directed the police to speed up the investigations and bring the culprits to book.
Home Minister P. Sabita Indra Reddy said a fast track court would be set up to try the culprits.
Police suspect family feud behind the kidnap and murders. They are reportedly questioning the brother of Prabhakara Rao's first wife.
