Vijayawada CP goes on leave

Vijayawada: The call money-sex racket seems to have become a hard nut to crack for the state government.

With pressure from all corners, the police on Tuesday conducted simultaneous raids on money lenders across the state. But at the same time in a sudden development Vijayawada Commissioner of Police Gautam Sawang went on leave.

This has come as a surprise move since it was Sawang who had brought this case into light. The Opposition parties upping their ante alleged that the government was trying to protect the guilty since they belong to the ruling TDP and hence it had allowed the CP to go on leave.

They refuse to accept the explanation given by DGP J V Ramudu that there was no surprise element as was being alleged since the CP had applied for one week leave in November itself. However, the DGP said the police would continue to handle the case and would not spare anyone found guilty whosoever he may be or howsoever big he might be.

Asking women to come to lodges is a very big crime and if necessary we will slap PD act against such people, Ramudu said. He said N V Surendra Babu who is another senior officer would handle the case in the absence of Sawang. Surendra Babu is one of the toughest officers, the DGP asserted.

Substantiating his claim, he said the police had conducted simultaneous raids on the money lenders across the 13 districts and seized thousands of documents and promissory notes from the money lenders in different places and several of them were taken into custody for questioning.

In Vijayawada, where the ugly face of the money lending had seen the light, the police have raided the houses of ruling Telugu Desam Party corporator, Gurram Kanakadurga’s husband Gurram Venkateswara Rao alias Konda, Karnati Rambabu, Jalasutram Srinivas and Buddha Nageswara Rao, into custody for questioning. Buddha Nageswara Rao is the brother of the TDP urban unit president and MLC Buddha Venkanna.

In East and West Godavari districts, about 50 private money lenders were arrested by the special teams formed by the state government on Tuesday. According to sources, promissory notes, empty cheques and bonds worth of Rs One crore were seized in different parts of twin Godavari districts.

Two persons Manda Srinivasa Reddy and Nallamilli Sairama Reddy from Anaparthi village of East Godavari and Dwarampudi Chandra Reddy from Kuthukuluru of East Godavari districts were arrested by the police and about 600 promissory notes and empty cheques were seized from them.