HYDERABAD: Former Punjagutta inspector Durga Rao was arrested in Guntakal of Andhra Pradesh in the wee hours of Monday. He was suspended for his alleged involvement in the escape of Raheel, son of former Bodhan MLA Mohd Shakeel Amir, to the United Arab Emirates.
Durga Rao was absconding for nearly a week before he was taken into custody. Only a few days earlier, the suspended inspector had approached the Telangana High Court seeking anticipatory bail. It must be noted that the former legislator has also been named as a suspect in the case. Meanwhile, a Look Out Circular has been issued against Raheel.
The suspected inspector had purportedly helped frame another person as the main accused after the BRS leader’s son, reportedly driving under the influence of alcohol, crashed his BMW car into a barricade near Praja Bhavan, Somajiguda, in the wee hours of December 24, 2023. Though no one sustained any injuries in the accident, Raheel was taken to the police station from where he escaped.
Durga Rao is not the only cop arrested in the case. On January 28, the police arrested Bodhan circle inspector (CI) Prem Kumar as well. He, too, was suspected of having helped Raheel flee to Dubai. “The CI and another accused were arrested and produced before the court. The court granted them bail,” a senior official said.