Andhra IPS officers suspended after actress’s complaint: ‘took flight to arrest her before FIR was even filed’

The woman, who spent 42 days behind bars alongside her parents, has now come forward to allege that she had been framed and arrested in a trumped-up case filed by a YSR Congress Party leader.

Speaking to The Indian Express, her lawyer Srinivas Rao claimed, “A false forgery case was filed against my client, who was threatened to withdraw a complaint she had made against a top industrialist in Mumbai. As she did not comply, she and her parents spent 42 days in jail before being released on bail. She believes there was political influence in her case.’’

On Monday, Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Y S Sharmila also alleged that her brother and former Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy had conspired with the industrialist to silence the actor. “Jagan was CM then; did his IPS officers go to Mumbai to arrest an actress and bring her to Vijayawada without his knowledge? When has a team of 15-20 police officers flown down to another city to arrest someone in a forgery case?” she asked.

Her case — and the case against her

The actor, who recorded a statement before the Vijayawada police on August 30, stated that she first tried to lodge a complaint against the industrialist in Mumbai in February-March 2023, but was turned away.

According to her, on December 5, 2023, she filed a petition in the Bombay High Court alleging that police were not acting on her complaint. On December 12, the police informed the court that the woman’s statement would be recorded and action would be taken.

An FIR was lodged on December 13. A day later, police informed the court that the woman’s statement had been recorded and an offence was registered against the industrialist under Indian Penal Code sections 376 (rape), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

The Mumbai police also issued a summons to the actor to appear before them and record her statement.

Less than two months later, on February 2, 2024, a police case was lodged at Ibrahimpatnam police station under NTR District Police Commissionerate against the woman. The case was filed on a complaint by YSR Congress Party leader and film producer K Vidyasgar Rao.

Rao alleged that the actor had forged property documents, extorted money from him, and cheated him. The actor and her parents were arrested in Mumbai by a team of Andhra Police officers – led by the then Vijayawada Deputy Commissioner of Police, IPS officer Vishal Guni – who flew to the city to make the arrest.

They were brought to Vijayawada, where they spent 42 days in jail before being granted bail.

The case(s) unravel

A few days after the Telugu Desam Party-led NDA came to power in June this year, the actor issued a statement that she wants to lodge a complaint against the police officers who had arrested her for alleged intimidation and highhandedness.

On August 2, the Chandrababu Naidu government responded by asking her to file a complaint online, and to appear before the police to record her statement, which she did on August 30 before Vijayawada Police Commissioner S V Rajashekar Babu.

Consequently, an FIR was registered against at least 16 police officers, including the three IPS officers. DGP Dwaraka Tirumala Rao also directed the Vijayawada police commissioner to appoint ACP K Sravanti Roy to probe the allegations levelled by the actor.

In her report submitted to the DGP, Roy stated that even though the FIR against the actor was lodged at 6.30 am on February 2, oral instructions had been issued on January 31 to arrest her, and flight tickets were booked for Mumbai for February 1. The actor told Roy that while she was in jail at Vijayawada, she could not appear before the Mumbai police, nor go to court to record her statement.

On March 16, the Mumbai Police closed the investigation into the rape and criminal intimidation case filed based on the woman’s complaint against the industrialist, saying her allegations were not found to be true.

“On the whole, our investigation has revealed that the said case has been filed by the complainant with the intention of framing the accused in a false crime,” the closure report states.

The three officers

As per the suspension orders issued by the Andhra Pradesh government on September 15, the three IPS officers allegedly played the following role:

Kanthi Rana Tata, 2004 batch IPS officer and the then Commissioner of Police, Vijayawada Police Commissionerate. The suspension order states that Tata failed to properly supervise the investigation. He did not ensure that the complaint was thoroughly examined and basic investigation carried out before issuing instructions to proceed with arrests, the order states. It states that the officer met the then DG, Intelligence on January 31 and acted hastily on his oral instructions.

On January 31, he gave oral instructions to officers and instructed his office to arrange air tickets for them to fly to Mumbai, it states, adding that he cautiously did not give any written instructions, thus enabling and indulging in the illegal arrest.

The order states that flight tickets for some officers were booked on February 1 even though the FIR was registered on February 2.

P Sitharama Anjaneyulu, 1992 batch IPS officer and the then DG, Intelligence. The order states that on January 31, Anjaneyulu called Tata and Vishal Gunni, the then Deputy Commissioner of Police, Vijayawada Police Commissionerate, to the CMO and instructed them to arrest the actor, even though no case had been registered until then.

The order states that he initiated and pushed the case based on incomplete information, abusing his authority and official position, and played a key role in fast-tracking the investigation without adequate scrutiny, which is nothing but connivance and misuse of power.

Vishal Gunni, 2010 batch IPS officer and the then Deputy Commissioner of Police, Vijayawada Police Commissionerate. The suspension report states that Gunni failed to properly supervise the investigation. It states that Gunni proceeded to Mumbai without any written instructions from his superior officers. As per the order, this conduct makes it extremely clear that action was initiated well before the crime was registered and that the officer was acting solely based on the prior instructions of the then Commissioner of Police, Vijayawada and the then DG, Intelligence issued on 31.01.2024. As per the order, it was reported that he did not even claim travel allowance though he went to Mumbai on official work, and he failed to give an opportunity to the arrested persons for an explanation.