K Nityanand Reddy, Vice-Chairman of Aurobindo Pharma, one of India’s top five pharma firms, escaped a daring abduction bid by an armed assailant near KBR Park in the heart of Hyderabad on Wednesday.

Reddy had just finished his morning walk and was getting into his Audi car at about 7.15 am when the assailant opened the passenger door, pulled out an AK 47 assault rifle, and demanded a ransom from Nityanand, who refused to give in; his brother, who was also present, tried to overpower the attacker. In the ensuing skirmish, at least eight rounds were fired.

Reddy was not injured, but the bullets shattered the windows.

The attacker fled the scene before police could arrive, leaving behind the AK 47.

The AK 47 rifle was later identified by police as stolen from the Greyhounds (an elite anti-naxal force) in December 2013. The park in which the attack occurred is located in the posh Jubilee Hills area.

Nityanand Reddy is one of the accused in the illegal assets case of YSR Party chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy filed in 2012. According to the Central Bureau of Investigation, the firm was allotted 75 acres in a special economic zone by the government of the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy for ₹7 lakh an acre against the ₹15 lakh fixed by the government.

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