The district police conducted simultaneous raids on the residences of Raptadu MLA Paritala Sunita (TDP) here as well as on the residences of her relatives in various parts of the district, particularly in Venkatapuram, the native village Sunita’s husband the late Paritala Ravindra, in the small hours of Wednesday.
Sriram filed an anticipatory bail petition in the local court. It will come up for hearing on Jan 4.
Police were looking for the MLA’s elder son, Paritala Sriram, for alleged conspiracy to murder Congress leader and former Dharmavaram municipal councillor Kamireddipalle Sudhakar Reddy.
Three persons were arrested at NS Gate in the early hours of Sunday while they were carrying lethal weapons in a Scorpio van. They revealed to the police during interrogation that they had, along with Paritala Sriram and some others, hatched a conspiracy to eliminate Sudhakar Reddy.
Following their confession, the police included Sriram as Accused No. 11 after registering a case and launched a manhunt for the accused who are at large. In all, police have named 14 as the accused in the case. As part of the search operation, they raided the residences of the MLA and her relatives on Wednesday to nab Sriram.
According to Dharmavaram deputy superintendent of police Nawab John, the police kept a vigil at airports on learning that Sriram had plans to go abroad. “We have information that he is planning to go to Singapore and following the directions of our higher officials we are making efforts to nab him,’’ the DSP added.
Sriram, who completed primary education in Anantapur district, studied in Hyderabad later and is said to be studying BBA in Singapore now.
SUNITA’S CHARGE: An angry Sunita, speaking with mediapersons at her residence in Aravind Nagar here, objected to the police searching a woman MLA’s residence without permission and said she would bring it to the notice of the Assembly speaker.
Describing the police raids on her residence as a conspiracy to suppress them politically, the Telugu Desam legislator recalled that the Congress government had conducted similar raids when her husband Ravindra was alive and had him murdered within a month thereafter. She questioned the government’s motives in implicating her son in the case and alleged that Congress and YSRCP leaders were conspiring to ruin the Paritala family’s political future.
Uravakonda MLA Payyavula Kesav and K Srinivasulu, visited Sunita’s house and condemned the police raid on the residence of a woman MLA at midnight without permission. Accusing the police of acting under pressure from ruling party leaders, they said they would raise the matter in the Assembly.