: Investigators are verifying reports that one of the police officers named by witnesses in the land deals involving slain gangster Nayeemuddin was also seen in a video clip with him. The video clip, police sources say, surfaced during the searches at Nayeem’s house in Alkapuri of Narsingi after he was killed in an exchange of fire with police.
While statements of some witnesses recorded by the police brought to the fore for the first time names of police officers allegedly linked to Nayeem’s property transactions, speculation was rife on the possible action to be taken against them.
In the case of an Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police Mohan Reddy of Karimnagar district, police top brass transferred all the police officers named by him.
The ASI was arrested on charge of driving a school owner to suicide, having extended loans for exorbitant interest rates. Soon after his arrest, police were flooded with complaints about Mr. Reddy occupying properties illegally.
Based on his confession that some police officers also deposited money with him for better returns, the police top brass transferred all those named by him immediately.
“Eventually all of them got fresh postings. In Nayeem’s case, the question is, will the government at least transfer the police officers named by the witnesses,” a police officer seeking anonymity remarked.
Action against these police officers assumes importances since some of them are in key postings. A few of them were earlier in important police wings.
The possibility of them attempting to influence the witnesses cannot be ruled out, say some police officers. They cite the examples of some politicians accused of being hand in glove with Nayeem persuading the complainants to withdraw the cases.
Interestingly, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to probe into all cases related to Nayeem and his associates had not gone on record about the links of police officers to the gangster so far. They had been sharing details of the progress in the investigation albeit briefly, but had never indicated if they ever examined the police officers named by the witnesses.
