BRS MLA Kaushik Reddy arrested in extortion case

Hyderabad: Telangana police on Saturday arrested Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy over allegations of extortion.

Warangal Subedari police arrested the MLA from Huzurabad at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad and shifted him to Warangal for questioning.

The MLA will be produced before a court later in the day.

A case was registered against Kaushik Reddy at Subedari Police Station following a complaint by a granite quarry trader that the BRS leader threatened him, demanding payment of Rs 50 lakh.

Manoj Reddy, who operated a quarry in Vanagapalli in Kamlapur mandal, lodged a complaint through his wife Ramadevi that, citing public outcry over the granite quarry, the MLA extorted Rs 25 lakh and was demanding another Rs 50 lakh.

Police registered a case against the MLA for threatening and extortion under various sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Kaushik Reddy had approached the Telangana High Court to quash the case, but his plea was dismissed on Monday. The prosecution has placed evidence before the court about the threatening calls from the MLA to the businessman.

The legislator’s counsel had argued that he was calling the businessman to inform him about the grievances of the people.

Meanwhile, a large number of BRS workers staged a protest at Subedari Police Station against the arrest of the MLA. BRS leader Vinay Bhaskar and others tried to meet Kaushik Reddy, but they were stopped by the police.

Police have tightened security in Warangal after the MLA’s arrest. He will be taken to MGM Hospital for medical examination before being produced in the court.

While being arrested at the airport, Kaushik Reddy said he would not stop questioning Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. He alleged that he was arrested as he had questioned the operation of quarries by the ‘benamis’ of the Chief Minister.

The MLA slammed the arrest at the airport without any notice and called it an attack on democracy.

BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao has strongly condemned Kaushik Reddy’s arrest, calling it an attempt by the Congress government to silence those questioning the Congress government.

–IANS