An Indian American psychiatrist was found dead Sept. 13 in the alley behind his East Wichita, Kansas office, his body covered with multiple stab wounds.
Police arriving at the Holistic Psychiatry Clinic pronounced 57-year-old Achutha Reddy dead at the scene. About 17 minutes after the first call to report Reddy’s death, the department received a call from a security guard at the Wichita Country Club, reporting a young male sitting in a car with blood all over his body.
Police arrived at the country club and arrested Umar Rashid Dutt, who is also Indian American. Dutt, 21, has been charged with first-degree murder and is currently being held at Sedgwick County Jail in Kansas, on a $1 million surety bond. He had not been arraigned as of press time Sept. 14.
Lt. Todd Ojile, section commander of the homicide division at the Wichita Police Department, held a televised media briefing with reporters Sept. 14 morning. Ojile said that Dutt had entered Reddy’s office, and proceeded to stab the victim.
An office manager – who has not been identified – heard the commotion and entered Reddy’s office. “She tried to intervene, which allowed the victim to flee,” said Ojile at the briefing.
Dutt then caught up with Reddy in the alley, and reportedly began a second assault. He then fled the scene and went to the Wichita Country Club, where he sat in his car outside the gate.
A security guard noticed him sitting there covered in blood and called 911, according to Ojile. “We don’t know why he drove to the country club, but the club has nothing to do with this,” clarified the detective.
Ojile told India-West after the briefing that investigators are trying to establish a motive for the murder, including how long Reddy had been treating Dutt.
The detective said Reddy was found with multiple stab wounds on his upper body, but could not comment on exactly how many times the victim had been stabbed. An autopsy is currently being conducted. The case was scheduled to go to the District Attorney’s office Sept. 15.
Reddy was a specialist in absolute yoga, a type of yoga which connects mind, body and breath and promotes a healthy lifestyle.
Holistic Psychiatric Hospital released a statement Sept. 14. “Yesterday, we experienced a great loss in our lives,” wrote psychotherapist Brenda Trammel. “Dr. Reddy was an amazing, compassionate man who was kind and loving to anyone he met.”
“He thought of himself as our father and his job was to guide us to do well in our lives,” wrote Trammel, adding: “He expected the best from us, and we gave it to him with the same abandon he gave to us.”
“The Medical Society is heartbroken over the loss of Dr. Reddy,” Denis Knight, president of the Medical Society of Sedgwick County, said in a statement. “He had been a member of MSSC since 2000, and his wife, Dr. Beena Reddy, is also a member. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her. Dr. Reddy’s death is a tragic loss to our community.”
Hailing from Nalgonda district in Telangana, Reddy graduated from Osmania Medical College in 1986. He later moved to the U.S., where he completed his residency in psychiatry from the University of Kansas Medical School in Wichita.