VIJAYAWADA: Vijayawada City Police arrested YSRCP leader and former Gannavaram MLA Vallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan from his residence in Hyderabad on Thursday. The politician was arrested in connection with the 2023 case concerning the attack on the TDP office in Gannavaram.
Vamsi has been charged under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for abducting and threatening one of the witnesses and the complainant in the TDP office attack case.
Early on Thursday, a team led by Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Gunnam Ramakrishna took Vamsi into custody from his residence in Gachibowli, Hyderabad, and brought him to Vijayawada. He was later shifted to Krishna Lanka police station, where he was questioned for more than eight hours.
‘Vamsi threatened Satyavardhan to turn hostile’
Around 9 pm, the police completed recording Vamsi’s statement and took him to the New Government General Hospital in Vijayawada for a medical check-up before presenting him to a special court. Six other individuals accused in the case were also arrested.
It has been reported that Mudunuri Kiran, the brother of Mudunuri Satyavardhan – an eyewitness and complainant in the TDP office attack case – lodged a complaint with Patamata police, alleging that Vamsi had abducted Satyavardhan and threatened him with dire consequences if he failed to turn hostile. The YSRCP leader allegedly pressured the complainant to submit an affidavit, testifying before the magistrate his willingness to withdraw the case.
A day after submitting the affidavit, as demanded by Vamsi, Satyavardhan allegedly went missing, prompting his family members to file a complaint with Patamata police.
On the day of the attack on the TDP office in Gannavaram (February 20, 2023), Satyavardhan, a computer operator, was working when a group of people, suspected to be YSRCP activists, forcibly entered the office, vandalised furniture, set vehicles on fire, and abused the staff on caste grounds.
YSRCP condemns Vamsi’s arrest
Tension prevailed at Krishna Lanka police station as numerous YSRCP leaders and supporters gathered after hearing of Vamsi’s arrest. They raised slogans against the TDP-led NDA government, calling the arrest a politically motivated act. Former MLAs Mondithoka Arun (Nandigama) and Malladi Vishnu (Vijayawada Central), YSRCP Vijayawada East constituency in-charge Devineni Avinash, and others visited Krishna Lanka police station to demand an explanation as to why an FIR had not been provided to Vamsi’s family members or his legal counsel.
Kodali Nani to be arrested soon?
In a remark that hinted at the potential arrest of former Gudivada MLA and YSRCP leader Kodali Venkateswara Rao (Nani), current Gudivada MLA Venigandla Ramu suggested that the expectations of the people in the constituency would soon be fulfilled. He emphasised that there was no room for repentance for those who misused power and committed serious errors under the YSRCP regime.
Ambati slams DGP
Former Minister Ambati Rambabu strongly condemned the arrest of Vallabhaneni Vamsi, claiming that false cases had been fabricated against former MLA Abbaya Chowdary in Eluru. He criticised DGP Harish Kumar Gupta for misusing the police force for political purposes under pressure from Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and IT Minister Nara Lokesh. He stated that the police were acting as political agents of the ruling coalition, rather than upholding the law.
Rambabu further stated that YSRCP leaders, including MLCs and senior members, had attempted to meet the DGP but were denied an appointment, despite having secured one. He demanded that Vamsi be presented before a judge within 24 hours, warning that the misuse of police power for political vendettas would not be tolerated.