HYDERABAD: While Special Investigation Team (SIT) officials were all geared up to question four persons — BL Santhosh, Thushar Velapally, Jaggu Swami and B Srinivas — in connection with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MLAs’ poaching case on Monday, three of them didn’t appear, putting a damper on the progress of the investigation.
The notice meant for BL Santhosh, who is the national general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was reportedly sent to the saffron party’s office in Bengaluru. The SIT had asked Santhosh to appear and cooperate in the investigation. The Telangana High Court had also asked the SIT to contact Delhi police for their assistance in serving the notice to the senior BJP leader.
Sources said that Cyberabad police have issued a lookout notice against Jaggu Swami after identifying his involvement in the case.
Bandi’s aide only one to turn up for SIT inquiry
“All the police unit officers across India are requested to communicate the lookout notice to the police stations under their jurisdiction and furnish any clues regarding the wanted person,” the notice issued by ACP Gangadhar reads.
Advocate Bhusarapu Srinivas, who is allegedly a close associate of the State BJP unit chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar, was asked to appear before the SIT. For eight hours, Investigating Officer B Gangadhar, Rajendranagar Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), along with Nalgonda Superintendent of Police (SP) Rema Rajeshwari and Moinabad Station House Officer (SHO) Laxmi Reddy grilled him at the Integrated Command and Control Centre situated in Banjara Hills on Monday.
The cops questioned him regarding the flight ticket he had booked for one of the accused, Simhayajulu, from Tirupati to Hyderabad on October 26, the day when the three accused met with TRS MLAs allegedly to lure them. In reply, Srinivas said he had invited the accused to perform pooja and homam and wasn’t aware that the accused was involved in the poaching of MLAs.
When the cops asked him about his phone conversation with another accused, Nanda Kumar, Srinivas remained silent and didn’t provide an answer, sources said. He is also scheduled to turn up for questioning on Tuesday, said sources.
Action against Santhosh?
While the notices on Jaggu Swami and Thushar Vellapally, Bharath Dharma Jana Sena president, were sent to their respective residence, the notice for Santhosh was sent to the BJP office in Bengaluru. When the SIT discovered that he lived in Delhi, they tried contacting the cops in the national capital but it wasn’t of much help reportedly.
Later, the Telangana HC asked the Delhi Commissioner of Police to assist the SIT in the issue of summons. However, police are mulling if they should arrest Santhosh or ask him to appear on another date as the first notice was sent to Karnataka, sources added.