VIJAYAWADA/VISAKHAPATNAM: The cybercrime wing of the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (APCID) arrested two persons from different places on Tuesday for posting and sharing “unverified and malicious news” against the State government on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
While C Krishna Rao was taken into custody from Nandigama of Krishna district, Nalanda Kishore Babu was arrested from Vizag. The CID said Krishna Rao is a TDP social media worker and Kishore is a close aide of TDP leader and former minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao. Sources in the department said the duo forwarded Facebook posts “defaming” the State government and its schemes.
Nalanda Kishore was arrested in an early morning swoop on charges of sharing a derogatory post against YSRC MP Vijayasai Reddy and Tourism Minister M Srinivasa Rao. The CID filed cases against him under IPC Sections 505 B and 120 A. They had served a notice on Kishore three days ago. He was arrested on Tuesday and taken to CID regional office.
Kishore will be taken to Vijayawada for further investigation. Meanwhile, the CID did not allow Ganta Srinivasa Rao to meet Kishore when he reached CID office. Criticising Kishore’s arrest, the TDP leader challenged the police to target him, not his friends.
Meanwhile, TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh accused the YSRC government of ‘misusing’ the CID to implicate and arrest TDP sympathisers for forwarding social media posts.Taking to Twitter, Lokesh said, “There was ‘no CID’ when the YSRC mafia looted sand. There was ‘no CID’ when corruption was taking place in land acquisition for the house sites. There was ‘no CID’ when J-tax collections rose to a peak in liquor. The YSRC was supplying cheap liquor, which is dangerous than poison, but there is ‘no CID’ action so far.”