HYDERABAD: Hyderabad police on Friday arrested Satish Uppalapati and his wife, Shilpa Banda, in Karnataka and brought them back to the city, weeks after the couple escaped from police custody. The duo had earlier been arrested in a Rs 23 crore cheating case.
Cop was suspended for helping accused
Around a month ago, the Task Force police apprehended the couple in Mumbai, but they escaped while being brought to Hyderabad. Following an inquiry, police commissioner VC Sajjanar suspended Central Zone Task Force sub-inspector D Srikanth Goud for dereliction of duty, including allegedly taking money from the accused and facilitating their escape.
Police sources told TNIE that the couple were traced and arrested in Karnataka before being brought back to Hyderabad.
They were wanted in a case filed by Dr Vinay Kumar, son of former Union minister P Shiv Shankar, who alleged that Satish, Shilpa and others cheated him of Rs 23 crore on the promise of high returns. The case was registered with the Central Crime Station on September 18.
Investigators now suspect that the SI accepted money from the duo and facilitated their release.
Srikanth and his team had initially apprehended the couple in Mumbai on October 23, but during transit, the SI returned three of the five seized mobile phones to them. Using these phones, the accused contacted their relatives for over an hour and allegedly coordinated their escape plan.
The SI also maintained a distance of more than 25 km between his vehicle and the police escort, ignoring constables’ requests to stay closer. This lack of coordination enabled the accused to flee custody at Sadasivpet in Sangareddy on October 24.