VISAKHAPATNAM: At least two persons suffered bullet injuries when a police team from the neighbouring Telangana’s Nalgonda opened fire at villagers in Lambasingi area under the Chintapalli police station limits in the district on Sunday, October 17, 2021. Telangana police said they fired in self-defence after a group of 15 to 20 ganja smugglers and tribespeople attacked them with stones and sharp weapons. None of the policemen were injured in the attack.
The Telangana police team was in search of ganja smugglers in a case registered in Nalgonda district. An interrogation of those arrested in Nalgonda had led the police to Lambasingi. Visakhapatnam Superintendent of Police (rural) B Krishna Rao said in a statement that the Nalgonda police were about to detain the ganja suspects when the group of people attacked them with sharp weapons and pelted stones at their vehicles.
The Telangana police team opened fire, injuring Killo Kamaraju and Rambabu, who were now being treated at the Narsipatnam area hospital. A combing operation was launched soon after the incident for the suspects, who escaped in the melee. Krishna Rao said the Nalgonda police reached the area without informing the local police, and their inexperience and lack of terrain led to the firing. The officer added that his Nalgonda counterpart contacted him after the incident.
According to reports, the Nalgonda police team, comprising two circle inspectors and two constables in civvies, picked up two persons from Galipadu. The police visited the village on Saturday and Sunday to question the two men. The local residents, suspecting the intention of the strangers whisking away two villagers, chased and intercepted the police vehicles on the Lambasingi ghat road, where the firing occurred.