HYDERABAD: At a time when the opposition parties are trying to corner the ruling TDP over the issue of ‘call money’ scandal in Vijayawada, alleging that some of the local TDP MLAs were involved in the case, Director General of Police (DGP) JV Ramudu, on Sunday, gave a clean chit to the ruling party MLAs belonging to the city.
The top cop further made it clear that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had asked him not to allow the guilty to go scot-free, however big they might be.
Speaking to Express, Ramudu said stringent action would be taken against those who had harassed gullible women in connection with the call money issue.
“We will not spare anybody. We will take stern action if those involved in the call money case harassed women in getting back their loan amount.
Based on a complaint lodged by a woman victim of sexual harassment, we have initiated action and some suspects have been taken into custody. We will not hesitate even to slap the new Criminal Amendment Act (Nirbhaya) against the offenders, who are involved in assaulting women sexually,” the DGP told Express.
“I have asked Vijayawada Police Commissioner Gautam Sawang and other DCPs to probe involvement of any MLA in the case. There is no specific information about any MLA’s involvement in it,” disclosed Ramudu adding there was no political pressure on the police while investigating the case.
According to the DGP, Vijayawada city police had formed separate teams and investigation into the case had been intensified. Police had come to know that some businessmen were involved in harassing women on the pretext of taking back their loan amount from them
Spl Teams Intensify Probe
Special teams have intensified investigation into the call money scandal. Police suspect that some call money agents had provided loans even to Tollywood producers. The Call Data Record (CDR) of suspected persons revealed that they had regularly interacted with some of the producers of the Telugu tinsel town. Police suspect that some key persons, who harassed gullible women in the guise of call money, are still absconding.