After taking his superiors head on and earning a suspension for insubordination, young IPS officer B Naveen Kumar left his superiors in bewilderment for several hours when he went missing on Wednesday morning.
But the Rampachodavaram assistant superintendent of police (ASP) was found at Kotipally bus stand in Rajahmundry late in the night while he was trying to make his way to the state capital. Police reportedly made him get off the bus and whisked him off to a guest house and served him his suspension orders there. Kumar was reportedly at the guest house when the last reports came in.
The new twist in the row between the officer and East Godavari superintendent of police C M Trivikram Varma, started unfolding Wednesday morning after a DSP, M S S Ashok Babu, started out from Eluru range DIG G Suryaprakash Rao’s office to serve the suspension order on Kumar. Along the way, Ashok Babu called up the Rampachodavaram police seeking to know where he could meet the ASP. They informed him that Kumar had left for Rajahmundry.
Ashok Babu then drove to Rajahmundry where four more police officials including additional SP Vardarajulu and a few DSPs joined him. They reached Kumar’s rented accommodation in Danavaipeta around 11.30 a.m.
They were greeted at the door by Kumar’s alleged livein companion Rupa Dimple, an advocate who practises in the AP High Court. They asked to meet Kumar but were told that he was freshening up and were asked to wait.
When an hour passed and there was no sign of Kumar, the posse knocked on the door again, and this time Dimple had a different story: two policemen had come from Trivikram Varma’s office and had taken Naveen away in a police vehicle. How come Ashok Babu did not know about it? And she added that she feared a threat to the ASP’s life.
Perplexed, the police officers searched the house but could not find Kumar. They left saying they would inform their superiors that the ASP had fled through the rear door.
Dimple’s version was what Kumar also told mediapersons who swooped down on the guest house Wednesday night. Kumar said he had escaped the two policemen who had picked him up by showing his service revolver. He had later made his way to the busstand to try and get out of Rajahmundry when he was picked up the police. The IPS officer also reasserted that there was a threat to his life.
Back at the his house, Dimple also alleged a threat to Kumar’s life. “Naveen’s an upright officer and had the guts to take on the SP. Though he was a veterinary doctor, he got into the IPS as he felt strongly against corruption.”
Kumar had a run in with Varma last week, alleging that the superior officer was involved in ganja trafficking.Kumar also levelled allegations against a DG rank officer after which the government issued orders placing him under suspension. Sources said that Naveen was trying to evade the suspension order as he intends to challenge it in court.
Repeated efforts by Express to reach Trivikram Varma did not elicit a response. He has chosen not to speak to the media ever since the row between him and his subordinate erupted.