Telugu film director Nutan Naidu sent to 14 days judicial remand in tonsure case

Visakhapatnam: In the sequence of steps, Visakhapatnam court on Sunday has issued orders over sending filmmaker Nutan Naidu to judicial custody for 14 days in a Dalit youth's tonsuring case.

The former Telugu 'Big Boss' participant Naidu, was arrested in Karnataka on Friday and was brought to Visakhapatnam on late Saturday. He was produced before a magistrate on Sunday where he was remanded to judicial custody for two weeks. The accused was subsequently shifted to Anakapalli Sub-Jail.

Visakhapatnam Police Commissioner Manish Kumar Sinha on Friday declared that Nutan Naidu was arrested from Udupi in Karnataka. He was taken into custody six days after the police arrested his wife Madhu Priya and six others for assaulting and tonsuring a Dalit youth at their house on suspicion of mobile phone theft.

The CP said Nutan Naidu was arrested after his involvement in the incident was established. He had made calls to his wife before and after the incident. During the investigation, the police also found that he had posed as retired IAS officer P.V. Ramesh to protect his wife in the case making calls to the superintendent of King George Hospital, Dr P.V. Sudhakar and other officials to issue medical certificates to the accused.

Ramesh lodged a complaint with the police after Sudhakar called him back to cross-check if he had telephoned him. The police investigations also revealed that Nutan Naidu had called over 30 officials impersonating Ramesh to protect or help his relatives and friends in various cases in the past.

The tonsuring incident occurred on August 28 and the next day the police arrested the accused, including four women based on the CCTV footage, which showed the accused assaulting 20-year-old P. Srikanth and tonsuring his head. The accused were booked for attempt to murder, wrongful confinement and other charges and sent to judicial custody.