Andhra suspends 3 IPS officers for alleged framing of Mumbai actress
Former Vizag police commissioner among suspended officers, says home minister
3-member committee to probe 'illegal arrest' of actress and businessman
The Andhra Pradesh government on Friday suspended three Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, including former Vizag police commissioner AB Venkateswara Rao, for their alleged involvement in the arrest and harassment of a Mumbai actress and a businessman.
Announcing the action taken against the officers, state Home Minister Taneti Vanitha said three-member committee has been constituted to probe the “illegal arrest” of the actress and the businessman.
The committee, headed by additional director general of police (crime investigation department) PV Sunil Kumar, will submit its report within 15 days. The other two members of the committee are inspector general of police (Vizag range) Ch Srikanth and deputy inspector general of police (Visakhapatnam rural) B. Krishna Rao.
The home minister said preliminary investigation has revealed that the actress and the businessman were arrested “without any proper procedure”.
“The actress and the businessman were picked up from a private hotel in Visakhapatnam on October 15 and taken to the police station. They were allegedly harassed and forced to give statements,” Vanitha said.
The minister said the suspension of the officers was necessary to ensure a fair and impartial probe into the incident.
“We want to make it clear that the government will not tolerate any kind of illegal activities by the police. The investigation will be conducted in a time-bound manner and action will be taken against anyone found guilty,” Vanitha said.
The actress and the businessman have alleged that they were framed by the police and that they were subjected to harassment and torture in custody.
The actress has claimed that she was forced to give a statement against the businessman, who she said is her friend.
The businessman has alleged that he was forced to pay a bribe of Rs 5 lakh to the police to secure his release.
The arrests of the actress and the businessman had triggered a political row in Andhra Pradesh, with the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) accusing the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) of misusing the police to target its political rivals.
The TDP has also demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident.
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