The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Police has sought the permission of the State government to prosecute Congress MLA from Secunderabad cantonment P. Shankar Rao, having completed the probe into a land grabbing case registered against him and his brother Dayanand.
Various offences
The permission of the government was being sought because provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act were added by CID to the case earlier booked against him by Neredmet police under provisions of the IPC. The government’s prior permission was necessary under the Act because he is a public servant. The Neredmet police had charged him for various offences under the IPC, including criminal conspiracy, trespass, forgery, intimidation and cheating.
Thereafter, the case was transferred to the CID for a thorough investigation.
A CID release said its investigation disclosed that Dr. Rao abused his position as an MLA to grab 70 acres of prime government land at Khanajiguda near Alwal which was worth Rs. 400 crore. In conspiracy with Mr. Dayanand, he threatened government officials and prevented them from discharging their duties by criminal misconduct.
Dr. Rao and Mr. Dayanand thwarted the process of regularisation of land by revenue officials in favour of members of Greenfield plot owners association.
Aggrieved by this, a beneficiary Chandrasekhar lodged a private complaint in a metropolitan court at Malkajgiri alleging that the brothers trespassed into the land with a view to grab the same by creating false documents and threatening witnesses.
They connived with some other accused in the process. The court referred the complaint to Neredmet police station where a case was booked.
When the case was transferred to CID, a total of 34 official and non-official witnesses were examined and their statements recorded.
As many as 18 documents were gathered as case objects.
