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Updated Friday, January 28, 2000

News



Several Women Missing


by Renada Rutmanis
Contributing Writer
Wednesday
January 26, 2000
Page 1


Concerned tenants have alerted police that several young women employed as housecleaners by Reddy Realty have not been seen for several days, raising suspicions that the girls were sent back to India to prevent them from talking to police.
Reddy has been suspected of obstructing justice in the past, including allegations that he purchased plane tickets for both himself and two witnesses to return to India after he learned of the police investigation into his alleged illegal activities.

"It was only (the) defendant’s arrest, three days before he was scheduled to leave the country, which prevented him from fleeing with material witnesses," Berkeley city attorney Manuela Albuquerque said in a statement.

Albuquerque said yesterday she believes the young girls had been removed to prevent them from testifying against Reddy. She added that the identities of the missing employees are still unknown, and that she cannot disclose the names of the tenants who reported the girls missing. A spokesperson for her office said the investigation is ongoing.

There has been little concrete information released to the public about the search for the missing girls. Berkeley City Councilmember Kriss Worthington said members of the council spoke to the city attorney and other investigators, but that they had declined to comment specifically about the investigation.

Councilmember Dona Spring, whose district includes several buildings owned by Reddy, is working closely with the city manager to make sure the defendant is held accountable if accusations against him are proven true.

The Berkeley police said yesterday that the disappearance of the eight girls is cause for further investigation.

"A day ago we heard that possibly tickets were bought for girls to go back to India," said Berkeley police Capt. Bobby Miller. "We will look into it if there is something to look into. Eight people who we know nothing about may have left for India in the last few days. There is just the suggestion that something is amiss."

Reddy has been accused of obstructing justice before. After a 17-year-old girl died of carbon monoxide poisoning in one of Reddy’s buildings, law enforcement officials said Reddy may have tried to hide the body without contacting authorities in a timely manner.

Reddy also told the police that the deceased girl’s parents were in the United States and presented them with two people who claimed to be her parents. But another girl later came forward and said they were not related. It was at this time that she alleged Reddy had molested her.

Albuquerque said Reddy has the ability to intimidate and threaten the witnesses because of the amount of power he wields, both in the United States and in his native village in India.

"The ability to obstruct justice when people are totally under your financial control (is great)," she said.

She added that victims have said they fear for their safety and for family members in India, where nearly the entire village is financially dependent on the defendant.

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