T Raja Singh urges probe into ‘extortion allegations’ after cow vigilante shot near Hyderabad

Police said Singh was shot in Pocharam under the Rachakonda Police Commissionerate Wednesday. Three suspects — Mohammad Ibrahim Qureshi, Mohammad Haneef Qureshi and Hassanbin Mohsin — have been arrested, while police are searching for the fourth, Kuruva Srinivas.

The incident has sparked protests from Raja Singh’s former party, the BJP.

In his letter, the MLA said Ibrahim was allegedly “involved in illegal activities, including cow trafficking”. Citing media reports, he wrote: “According to reports, Sonu Singh had demanded an amount of Rs 5 lakh from Ibrahim in connection with cow trafficking activities. Due to a dispute over this financial demand, Ibrahim and his associates allegedly attacked Sonu Singh. This incident not only highlights criminal elements operating under the guise of gau raksha but also brings disrepute to genuine organisations working sincerely for the protection of cows.”

The letter added that several groups “misuse the name of Gau Raksha to extort money from slaughterhouses”.

“Requesting for the constitution of a special investigation team to investigate the attack on Sonu Singh and misuse of Gau Raksha activities,” the MLA wrote.

Police said Singh and the cattle traders — Ibrahim Qureshi, Haneef Qureshi and Hassanbin Mohsin — allegedly knew each other. Rachakonda Police Commissioner G Sudheer Babu said the three had been involved in the cattle transport business for several years, and their accomplice Srinivas was a farmer who also drove trucks.

“Sonu Singh’s real name is Bidla Prashanth Kumar of Attapur, Rajendra Nagar, Hyderabad. He adopted the name Sonu Singh to appear as one of the cow vigilantes in Hyderabad, a majority of whom are from north India. After the arrests, cops seized the country-made pistol, the car involved in the incident, and three cell phones of the accused. From the crime scene, they seized two empty cartridges,” Babu said.

On Wednesday evening, Srinivas, a friend of Singh, called him to a tea stall to ask why he was stopping trucks transporting cattle. “The accused confronted him for exposing their illegal cattle transportation, and in the ensuing argument, Ibrahim retrieved a gun from his car and shot Prashanth alias Sonu Singh in the right side of the chest before fleeing. Investigation revealed the motive was dual: retaliation for the victim causing an estimated Rs 1 crore loss to Ibrahim by intercepting his cattle vehicles, and potential conflict arising from the victim’s alleged demand for Rs 5 lakh to cease his activities,” Babu said.

Bystanders alerted the police, who took Singh to a hospital, where he is now stable.

Hours later, the BJP announced protests across Hyderabad, including outside the DGP’s office. Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar and state BJP president N Ramchender visited Singh in hospital and offered assistance.