Police investigations into the death of a Sydney dentist, Preethi Reddy, whose body was found in a suitcase in the boot of a car on Tuesday, have turned to a man who was killed in a head-on collision on Monday night on the New England Highway.
Detectives confirmed at a press conference that the man was her ex-boyfriend and was a fellow dentist.
They revealed they had earlier spoken to the 32-year-old man as part of a missing persons investigation, when first alerted by Reddy’s family to her disappearance.
“At this stage we know they met up in Sydney. Now we’re looking at all the movements between those two to establish exactly what happened. At this stage we won’t be guessing in relation to that,” Det Supt Gavin Dengate said.
Police had previously confirmed the victim of the fiery crash was a man from Tamworth.
At Oasis Smiles Dental in Tamworth, a tribute was posted on Wednesday morning to Dr Harsh Narde, a dentist at the clinic.
“It is with great sadness we announce the tragic passing of our beloved Harsh,” the tribute said.
“We send our deepest sympathy and our love to his family in India. We will miss him beyond words. He touched many peoples lives and we will always remember him with his big cheeky smile.”
Reddy was last seen on CCTV footage at a McDonald’s at the Strand Arcade in central Sydney about 2.15am on Sunday and appeared to leave alone.
Police said further inquiries had established that she stayed at a hotel on Market Street on Sunday with a man known to her. Relatives said she had phoned on Sunday morning about 11am and said she was having a late breakfast.
Reddy was reported missing on Sunday night after she failed to return home following a dental convention at St Leonards at the weekend. Her body, with multiple stab wounds, was found in a car in the Kingsford area of Sydney.
Police have appealed to the public to help them trace Reddy’s final movements. But Dengate cautioned against speculation as to what happened.
“We’re looking at the timeline of when they met up,” he said. “We’re still making inquiries. It is very difficult now, with what’s happened to get that.”
The gruesome discovery of Reddy’s body was made by officers on Strachan Lane about 9.30pm on Tuesday night, hours after police issued a public appeal to find the 32-year-old from Penrith.
Strike Force Carlwood, which is investigating the murder, has since been notified that the ex-boyfriend died on the New England Highway at Willow Tree about 10pm on Monday, after his BMW hit a truck.
He was the only person in the car. The 49-year-old driver of the truck veered off the road after the crash and managed to escape before his vehicle burst into flames.
“Investigators from Oxley Police District believe the collision was a deliberate act by the BMW driver,” the police statement about the accident said. A report will be prepared for the information of the NSW coroner.”
Police said Reddy’s family were working closely with detectives.
“As a parent, the worst thing we can do is bury our kids,” Dengate said.
“We’ve got to think about that. I ask you all to think about her family right now and about giving them the space to actually to be in this space,” he said.
It’s believed Reddy worked at Glenbrook in the lower Blue Mountains. “Glenbrook Dental Surgery staff are in mourning to hear the sad news about Preethi Reddy,” her colleagues posted on Wednesday morning.
Investigators have removed the car from the scene in Kingsford and urged anyone with information to come forward.
• In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 and the domestic violence helpline is on 0808 2000 247. In the US, the suicide prevention lifeline is 1-800-273-8255 and the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org
