Preethi Reddy had a new partner and was about to move to Melbourne when her ex-boyfriend murdered her.
Preethi Reddy had a new partner and was about to move to Melbourne when her ex-boyfriend murdered her.
An inquest into the murder of Sydney dentist Preethi Reddy has revealed the grisly acts of her ex-boyfriend after he killed her and stuffed her body into a suitcase and placed it in the boot of her car.
The inquest's formal findings reveal that after killing Reddy, Harshwardhan Narde went to Myer food court, ate a meal and then bought a giant suitcase.
In a brief hearing on Wednesday morning, Deputy State Coroner Carmel Forbes revealed Narde had murdered Reddy at Swissotel in Sydney's CBD by "blunt force head injury and stab wounds to the neck and back".
Reddy died as a result of "homicide by her ex-partner Dr Harshwardhan Narde" who she had met in 2014, the formal findings said.
The findings reveal Narde probably murdered Reddy between 11.06am on Sunday March 3 last year and 1.34pm on the same day, after the two dentists had attended a conference in Sydney's north on Saturday and later met at Narde's hotel.
After paying to stay at Swissotel for an extra night, Narde was seen at 1.51pm walking from the hotel ground floor lobby through department store Myers to the food court.
"At 1.56pm he purchased some food and ate it in the food court," the Coroner's findings say.
"He then walked back into Myers, into the luggage section and purchased a large suitcase at 2.23pm.
"He then went to the 7-Eleven in George Street and purchased garbage bags and returned to Swissotel.
Preethi Reddy had broken up with Harshwardhan Narde when he met on the fateful day she died.
"At 3.30pm Dr Narde walked through the ground floor lobby and back out of the hotel and to Woolworths located on the corner of George and Park streets.
"He purchased towels and cleaning products and returned to his room.
"Dr Narde did not stay at the hotel for the extra night.
"At 4.43pm … a concierge was called for.
"The concierge attended Dr Narde's room and assisted Dr Narde (to) lift the suitcase purchased at Myers onto the porter's trolley … and a tied up black garbage back.
"The bags were taken to Dr Reddy's car that had been retrieved from valet parking and the concierge and Dr Narde lifted the bags into the boot of the car."
The findings say Narde then drove to Kingsford, parked the car and walked to a discount shop and asked a staff member to call him a taxi.
At 6.08pm Narde went to Sydney airport, but when he was unable to buy a Qantas ticket for a flight back home to Tamworth, he instead hired a vehicle to drive to Tamworth.
Within just over 24 hours, Narde would be dead, and almost 24 hours after that Reddy's body would tragically be found inside the suitcase in her car boot in the suburb of Kingsford.
Harshwardhan Narde has died after a car crash in Sydney. Photo / Facebook via news.com.au
Coroner Forbes said "far too often we see women killed by current or former partners".
The disappearance of Reddy in early March last year gripped the community when she vanished after attending a dentistry conference in the northern Sydney suburb of St Leonard's.
The 32-year-old dentist had told her family she would be returning home soon after having a late breakfast on Sunday, March 3, 2019.
But she failed to return home and her frantic sister Nithya made six phone calls to Reddy's ex.
Reddy's body was then found almost 24 hours later stuffed into a suitcase in the boot of her own Volkswagen Golf parked in a lane in Sydney's eastern suburbs.
The tragic series of events unfolded on Saturday March 2 last year after Preethi attended the conference, as did her ex-boyfriend.
Preethi Reddy was last seen at McDonald's on Sunday about 2.15am. Photo / CCTV
Narde had driven eight hours from Tamworth, where he practised dentistry to be at the conference, and was staying at hotel in Market Street in Sydney's CBD.
It was thought that Reddy may have gone to Narde's hotel to reaffirm that their relationship was truly over.
Friends of Reddy say that following a five-year, tumultuous relationship, she had ended it in a break-up several years before.
Narde is believed not to have accepted it, but Reddy – who was moving to Melbourne with a new partner – was firm that the relationship was over and that she didn't want to see him any more.
At about 2.15am on Sunday, March 3, Reddy was captured on CCTV footage inside McDonald's at the Strand Arcade, near Narde's hotel.
She was then seen leaving the store alone, and walking south on Market Street.
Preethi was then seen on CCTV in the Market Street hotel lobby after her McDonald's excursion, but police were unable to ascertain where she was overnight on Sunday.
Preethi Reddy had a new partner and was about to move to Melbourne when her ex-boyfriend murdered her.
Only on Monday morning did Harshwardhan Narde return the calls of Reddy's sister.
"When he called me the first time he was calm. He didn't seem to have the level of surprise or concern that one would have about someone who is missing," Nithya said later.
Over the course of the next 12 hours, Narde contacted her four more times.
Then about 10pm on Monday night there came reports of a terrible crash on the highway at Willow Tree, near Qurindi more than 200km northwest of Newcastle.
A BMW had collided with a truck in what police would later deem "a deliberate act".
At the time, the truck was engulfed in flames and it took some effort to douse the blaze.
Luckily, the truck driver managed to extricate himself from the wreckage and escaped the crash unharmed.
It was Harshwardhan Narde's BMW and he was killed instantly in the crash.
After the crash, Oases Smiles Dental in Tamworth issued a statement saying the staff would miss Narde "beyond words. He touched many peoples lives and we will always remember him with his big cheeky smile".
The surgery's Facebook page posted – before Dr Reddy's body had been found, on the evening of Tuesday, March 5 – that it was with "great sadness we announce the tragic passing of our beloved Harsh".
The body of 32-year-old Preethi Reddy was found stuffed in a suitcase in her car in a Kingsford lane. Photo / 9 News
However it later emerged that Narde was a manipulative, controlling man and patients of his subsequently describe him as "invasive and cruel".
One former patient of Narde said she felt like she'd "never been so violated in my life by a dentist" after a consultation with him.
Police had issued a description of Preethi Reddy and her vehicle and at around 9pm on the Tuesday, her grey VW Golf was located.
Tragically, in a suitcase inside the car's boot was Reddy's body.
Detectives surmised that Narde had killed Reddy in the CBD hotel, placed her body in the suitcase and then in the boot of her car which he drove 7km to the Kingsford lane where it was found.
Nithya released a touching tribute to her older sister, describing Preethi as a "bright light".
"Words cannot capture the pain we are feeling with the passing of my beautiful big sister," Nithya wrote.
"Preethi was a bright light, loveable, kind, and protective of all whom were lucky enough to have been loved and cared for by her.
"Prior to this unthinkable event, she had been the happiest I'd ever seen her — she was living her best life …
"We ask that everyone keep that in mind that we are grieving and we need space to do that.
"Finally, let the police do what they need to do to solve this horrific tragedy. Our family will never be the same without Preethi in our lives.
"Please let her beautiful soul rest in peace."
WHERE TO GET HELP:
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