An Indian Police Service (IPS) officer has been arrested by Andhra Pradesh police for the alleged harassment and wrongful arrest of a Mumbai-based actor. PSR Anjaneyulu, who was the intelligence chief in the previous YSRCP government, is already under suspension. The 1992-batch IPS officer was arrested in Hyderabad and is being taken to Vijayawada.
The actor, whose name has been withheld, had last year accused the police officials of wrongfully arresting her and threatening her to withdraw a sexual assault case filed against a top executive of a Mumbai-based corporation.
Last year, when the YSRCP was still in power, the actor and her parents were arrested over a land-related cheating complaint filed by Kukkala Vidyasagar, a ruling party leader. The instructions reportedly came from Mr Anjaneyulu to the two other officials.
After a change in regime, the actor lodged a police complaint alleging that the officials conspired with Mr Vidyasagar to target her and her family. The forgery case filed against her is false, and she was mentally and physically harassed, she alleged.
She claimed she and her elderly parents were picked up without prior notice and were subjected to humiliation for over 40 days in judicial custody.
Acting on her complaint, the government had in September suspended three officers, including Mr Anjaneyulu. The two others were former Vijayawada Police Commissioner Kranti Rana Tata and then Deputy Commissioner of Police (Vijayawada) Vishal Gunni.
The suspended officials are accused of acting under political pressure while not adhering to the protocols.
While Mr Anjaneyulu has been accused of abusing authority, Mr Tata has been charged with failing to properly supervise the probe. The former Vijayawada Commissioner had reportedly issued orders for the arrest based on oral directions from his superior. Mr Gunni reportedly failed to thoroughly examine the complaint before arresting the actor.
