Telangana SIT issues lookout notice for suspect in alleged MLAs poaching case | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Telangana SIT issues lookout notice for suspect in alleged MLAs poaching case

Nov 22, 2022 02:33 PM IST

The Telangana SIT’s move comes after the suspects in the MLA poaching case, except one, failed to appear before the investigating officer for questioning

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Telangana police probing the alleged attempt to poach four Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) legislators into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have started issuing lookout notices for the suspects who were summoned for questioning in the case, said an official privy to the development.

Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao. (File Photo)
Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao. (File Photo)

On Monday, the SIT authorities issued a lookout notice for Dr Kottilil Narayan Jaggu alias Jaggu Swamy, a doctor with the Amrutha Institute of Medical Sciences in Ernakulam, who failed to respond to the summons issued to him on November 16, asking him to appear before the investigating officer.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

A police official privy to the development said the SIT was in the process of issuing similar lookout notices to track down BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santosh and founder-president of Bharat Dharmika Jana Sena (BDJS) of Kerala, Tushar Vellapally, who were supposed to appear before the investigating officer on Monday for questioning in the case, as per the directions of the Telangana high court.

“Only the fourth suspect, B Srinivas, a lawyer from Karimnagar and believed to be a close associate of BJP state president Bandi Sanjay, appeared before the SIT and was grilled for nearly eight hours. He is being questioned for the second consecutive day on Tuesday,” the official quoted above said.

The four suspects were summoned by the SIT for questioning, as the investigation revealed that they were in contact with the three accused – Ramachandra Bharati from Faridabad, Nanda Kumar from Hyderabad and Simhayaji Swamy from Tirupati.

The accused were arrested from a farmhouse on the outskirts of Hyderabad on October 26, while they were luring the four TRS MLAs – Pilot Rohit Reddy, Guvvala Balaraju, B Harshavardhan Reddy and Rega Kantha Rao into the BJP by offering huge money, besides posts and contracts.

The lookout notice for Jaggu Swamy, which was seen by HT, was pasted on several local police stations in Kerala. Stating that he was a “Wanted” in the case of the alleged poaching of TRS MLAs, the SIT said he had played a key role in the conspiracy to lure the four TRS MLAs.

The notice said Swamy was involved in a case of inducement of bribe to MLAs of the TRS to defect and also to discharge their duties improperly and dishonesty and criminal intimidation to topple and destabilise the democratically elected state government.

Stating that he was found to be absconding from his residence and workplace, the notice asks all police unit officers across India to communicate the lookout notice to police stations under their jurisdictions and furnish any clues regarding the wanted person to the Hyderabad City Control Room, ACP Rajendranagar, DCP Shamshabad Zone and the Moinabad Police Station, with contact numbers of all these entities also given.

The police official quoted above said the SIT, after taking legal opinion, was likely to move the high court seeking permission to arrest Santosh and two others, in the event of they not responding to the summons and the lookout notices.

“They have clearly violated the court directions which asked them to cooperate with the investigating authorities in the poaching case,” the official added.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Srinivasa Rao is Senior Assistant Editor based out of Hyderabad covering developments in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana . He has over three decades of reporting experience.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On