Body of Lieutenant Colonel Vinay Reddy to arrive in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: Mortal remains of Lieutenant Colonel Vinay Bhanu Reddy, who died in a helicopter crash along with another Army pilot Major Jayanth in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday, will be brought to Hyderabad on Friday evening.

Defence spokesperson said the mortal remains will arrive at Begumpet Air Force Station at 17.30 hours. Thereafter, the mortal remains will be moved by road to his native place Bommalaramaram in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district.

Lt. Col. Reddy's last rites are likely to be performed on March 18.

Meanwhile, the mortal remains of Major Jayanth A. will reach his native place in Madurai by 8 pm on Friday.

Lt. Col. Reddy and co-pilot Major Jayanth died in an Army helicopter crash near Mandala in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday. The single-engine, multi-role Cheetah helicopter crashed during an operational sortie between Missamari in Assam's Sonitpur and Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.

Lt. Col. Reddy is survived by wife Spandana, who is a dentist in the Army, and two daughters aged six and four. Spandana is a dentist working in Armed Forces Medical College in Pune. She has left for Tezpur to receive the body of her husband.

The deceased officer's parents along with granddaughters have left for Hyderabad from Pune.

Hailing from Bommalaramaram in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, Vinay Bhanu Reddy had joined the National Defence Academy (NDA) at the age of 17.

His father Narasimha Reddy had moved to Hyderabad several years ago. He was working in Republic Forge Company in Hyderabad and later started farming in his village. The family was staying at Malkajgiri in Hyderabad. Narasimha Reddy's elder son Uday Bhanu Reddy lives in the United States while younger son joined the NDA. Vinay Bhanu Reddy became an Army officer in 2007 and served at various places in the country. (IANS)