VIJAYAWADA: Penamaluru police carried out a rescue operation in the Eluru Canal on Wednesday to trace the missing Narasapuram Mandal Parishad Development Officer (MPDO) Mandava Venkata Ramana Rao.
He allegedly jumped into the canal near Madhura Nagar unable to bear the ‘harassment’ of YSRC leaders over pending ferry lease dues.
According to his family members, Rao left home on July 15 on the pretext of attending a meeting in Machilipatnam, and did not return. Around 10 pm on July 15, Rao reportedly messaged his wife stating that July 16 was his birthday and also the last day for him.
“Following the message, his family members lodged a complaint with us. Immediately, we formed special teams to trace Rao,” Penamaluru police said.
It is suspected that Rao might have committed suicide by jumping into Eluru Canal as his mobile phone last location tracked in Madhura Nagar.
“Three teams of disaster response management force and local police are carrying out intense search operations in Eluru Canal to trace Rao,” the police said.
During investigation, it is learnt that the MPDO wrote a letter to Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on July 14 stating that one contractor failed to pay Madhavapalem ferry lease amount of Rs. 55 lakh, and YSRC leaders were trying to hold him responsible for it. He stated that former YSRC chief whip M Prasada Raju and others brought pressure on him for trying to issue a notice to the contractor demanding payment of the pending dues.
The Deputy Chief Minister directed officials to carry out a detailed investigation into the MPDO missing case. He also sought a report on pending lease amount of ferries in the district.