The body of missing Sydney woman Dr Preethi Reddy has been found in a suitcase locked in a car

The family of murdered dentist Preethi Reddy has revealed she was “living her best life” before her body was found in a suitcase and her ex died in a car crash.

Ms Reddy’s sister, Nithya this morning issued a statement on behalf of the family in which she said words couldn’t “capture the pain we are feeling with the passing of my beautiful big sister”.

“Preethi was a bright light; loveable, kind, and protective of all whom were lucky enough to have been loved and cared for by her,” Nithya said.

“Prior to this unthinkable event, she had been the happiest I’d ever seen her — she was living her best life.

“On behalf of my family, I want to thank anyone who shared our appeals to find her, and those who provided information to the police and us over the last few days.”

Nithya said the family would stay in touch with detectives until the full circumstances surrounding the “horrific tragedy” were determined.

“While we now know that Preethi is no longer with us, the certainty of her movements on Saturday night and Sunday morning are not yet fully known,” she said.

“Our family will never be the same without Preethi our lives.”

In an equally moving tribute, Dr Reddy’s current partner yesterday posted a photo of the couple with a caption, on Facebook.

“I’ll see you again one day … and we’ll continue where we left off my angel,” he wrote.



Just two days earlier, he had posted a desperate plea on Facebook, in search of his then-missing girlfriend.

Dr Reddy’s remains were found in a suitcase inside her car in laneway at Kingsgate in Sydney’s eastern suburbs just before 9.30pm on Tuesday. She had been stabbed numerous times.

The 32-year-old from Penrith in western Sydney had been attending a dental convention at St Leonards over the weekend. She spent Saturday night in a hotel on Market Street in the CBD with ex-boyfriend, Harshwardhan Narde, 34, of Tamworth, a dentist who is believed to have accompanied her to the conference and suspected of later killing her. A NSW Police spokeswoman told news.com.au that authorities were not looking for any other suspects.

Detective Superintendent Gavin Dengate revealed officers grilled Narde while Dr Reddy was still the subject of a missing person’s inquiry after the pair spent the night together.

In a shocking twist, Narde died on Monday night — a day after Dr Reddy was reported missing — in a head on collision with a truck near Tamworth in what police believe was a deliberate act.

The 49-year-old driver of the fruit and vegetable-laden semi-trailer managed to crawl out of his vehicle before it burst into flames on impact with Dr Narde’s BMW just after 10pm on Monday.

“Police did speak to (the ex-boyfriend) and at that time it was still a missing person’s inquiry,” Supt Dengate said.

Supt Dengate said Strike Force Carlwood officers investigating the case were unsure where and when Dr Reddy was murdered but were working on the probability she was killed at the hotel.

“We are still working on the timeline of events and that’s why we need the public to come forward with any information they have,” Supt Dengate said.

Investigators said they were keen to speak to anybody who saw Dr Reddy over the weekend — when she was seen driving her grey VW Golf, registration DFP 78P.

The last images police have gathered of Dr Reddy show she was in a McDonald’s on George Street in the CBD about 2.15am Sunday, as mardi gras celebrations took over the city.

Inside the restaurant, footage shows Dr Reddy standing alone at the counter. She then left the restaurant and walked south through the city towards Market Street.

According to police, she last spoke with her family at about 11am Sunday, saying she planned to head home after having a late breakfast in Sydney.

She was reported missing to Nepean Police Area Command later that night after she failed to arrive home.

Her remains were found on Tuesday night in Strachan Lane, just a few hundred metres from Anzac Parade and about 700m from the University of New South Wales.

Before her body was found, a Facebook Group called “Help find Preethi Reddy” had been set up by the family to assist the investigation.

In a statement, Sydney City Police Area Command said they were continuing to investigate the circumstances of her death, and anyone with information relating to the incident should come forward.

EX-BOYFRIEND ‘WAS QUIET’

A colleague of Dr Reddy and Narde’s, who attended the conference, said he last saw the pair chatting animatedly in the hotel lobby following the event.

“They looked happy and stayed back to chat after the conference ended at 7pm,” he said.

“I knew they were in a long-term relationship, many of us did.

“The bizarre thing I noticed that night was that he took down his Facebook shortly after the conference. It made me wonder why.”

Hurstville Dental & Physio Centre manager Dave Vagadia told news.com.au that Dr Reddy worked at the surgery as a dentist for about five months until March 2018.

“I saw that she was missing from her sister’s post on Facebook and was in pure shock when I later saw on the news about what had happened,” he said.

“(My reaction was) pure shock.

“I just thought ‘oh my God, how come?’

“She was a strong girl who loved dentistry. She was always cheerful, happy and a positive person. She was hardworking.”

According to Mr Vagadia, Dr Reddy used to frequently talk about Narde and his skills as a dentist, while she was working.

“The last time I saw her was at a conference in Sydney in March last year and she was there with (Narde),” Mr Vagadia said.

“He was quiet.”