
VIJAYAWADA: In a major development, the Machilipatnam court on Thursday issued orders allowing the police to take the custody of accused Badugu Nageswara Rao. The accused tried to attack Minister for Transport and Information and Public Relations Perni Venkataramaiah (Nani) last Sunday.
Earlier this week, the Machilipatnam police filed a counter-petition seeking the custody of Nageswara Rao. While hearing the petition, the judge gave orders to interrogate Nageswara Rao for three days. Amidst tight security, the police escorted Nageswara Rao, a mason, from Machilipatnam sub-jail on Thursday morning. Officials said they already questioned a few TDP leaders to enquire about their connection with the accused. “We have expedited investigation to ascertain the facts,” they added.
Meanwhile, the Inaguduru police served notice on TDP leader and former minister Kollu Ravindra under Section 91 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in connection with the case after a few YSRC leaders alleged his involvement in the attack.
Reacting to the notice served by the police, the former minister claimed that the police are ‘deliberately’ trying to link the incident to TDP and the accused might have committed the offence as he lost employment due to the ‘artificial sand scarcity’ created by the YSRC government.
“Police have recorded my statement. The cops are questioning the TDP leaders even though they are nowhere connected to the case. The police should conduct a thorough investigation to identify the real culprits and initiate stern action against them,” Ravindra said.
“We are probing the case from all angles to know the motive of the accused. In our preliminary investigation, we came to know that Rao is not a TDP functionary, but a TDP sympathiser. Recently, his elder sister Badugu Umadevi, president of TDP district mahila wing also gave a statement that her brother doesn’t have any connection with the TDP,” a senior police official said.