HYDERABAD: Opening up prosecution in the sensational Babubhai Katara human trafficking case from 2007, Telangana government passed a Government Order on Monday according permission to prosecute Soyam Bapu Rao, former TRS leader and MLA from Boath and Mazaruddin Rashid, a travel documents broker.
The GO accorded sanction for the two accused to be prosecuted under the sections 419 (Punishment for cheating by impersonation, 420 (Cheating), 468 (Forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (Using as genuine a forged document) along with section 12 (1) (b) of the Passports Act, 1967 which deals with knowingly furnishes false information. After the case of human trafficking by former BJP Memeber of Parliament Babubhai Katara from Dahod in Gujarat came to light, Soyam Bapu Rao, who was then a rebel TRS MLA, had surrendered himself at the Hyderabad Police’ Central Crime station in 2007.
Although the police had booked cases against him, Rashid and others, they could not proceed further as state government’s permission is essential for initiating prosecution in cases involving sections of Passports Act.
The GO read that based on records pertaining to crime available with CCS, Detective Department, Hyderabad, government considered that the accused should be tried for the offences.