VISAKHAPATNAM: Even before the heat generated by the tonsuring case in East Godavari district died down, yet another such incident was reported in Visakhapatnam. However, the city police acted with alacrity and arrested seven persons involved in the incident.
Speaking to mediapersons here on Saturday, Police Commissioner Manish Kumar Sinha said following a complaint lodged by the victim P Srikanth, the police investigated the case and arrested the accused, including the wife of Big Boss (Telugu) fame Nutan Naidu.
He said they seized the footage of CCTV camera in the house and based on the evidence, cases under the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and other Sections of the IPC were filed against the accused.
The police arrested Nutan Naidu’s wife N Priya Madhuri, T Indira Rani (26), housekeeping supervisor, Ch Varahalu (35), supervisor, I Ravi Kumar (26), a barber, S Balagangadhar (29), M Jhansi (19) and M Sowjanya (29), staff at Nutan Naidu’s house, on charges of assaulting and tonsuring the 20-year-old Dalit youth. The CCTV footage reportedly revealed that the accused thrashed and tonsured Srikanth.
The Police Commissioner said Srikanth worked as a housekeeping boy at Nutan Naidu’s house for six months till he quit the job on August 1. On August 27, Varahalu asked him to come to the house. When Srikanth went to the house, Priya Madhuri allegedly accused him of stealing her iPhone.
Srikanth, who refuted the charge, came back from the house. However, Varahalu again asked him to come to the house on Friday. Srikanth was allegedly abused and thrashed by some of the inmates and staff with sticks and steel rods. Later, the accused called Ravi Kumar, who tonsured Srikanth. They allegedly threatened him not to reveal the incident to anyone.
After tonsuring Srikanth, a few of the accused reportedly took selfies with him and later they deleted them. However, their mobile phones were seized by the police and the deleted data was retrieved. The police registered cases under Sections of attempt to murder (307), voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons (324), and various other Sections, including 342, 324, 323, 506 r/w 34 of IPC and 3(1)(e) and 3(2)(v) of the SC, ST Act.
Manish Kumar Sinha said further investigation into the case would reveal if there was any other intention in attacking Srikanth. Narrating his harrowing experience, Srikanth said he was targeted and beaten up as he quit the job in their house. He said they refused to listen to his pleas that he did not steal the mobile phone as alleged. He said he left the house 28 days ago and was not aware of the mobile and denied that he had scanned the photos of Indira. Based on his complaint, Pendurthi police acted swiftly in the tonsuring case, the Police Commissioner said.