Police are likely to arrest a politician from Nalgonda, who is known as ‘benami’ for slain gangster Nayeemuddin alias Nayeem in his hometown of Bhongir and accused of aiding him indirectly in extortions and land grabbing.
This politician, belonging to a leading social group in the district, police believe, was hand in glove with Nayeem. “His association with Nayeem is no secret. He would attend the ‘Urs’ — a religious programme — organised by Nayeem at a dargah close to his house in Bhongir,” says a police officer.
Nayeem used to organise the annual event even when he went into hiding as police were looking out for him in different cases. He would bear expenses of the programme indirectly, but this politician would be the front man. “Everyone in Bhongir knew about the connections of this leader, whose flexi posters used to be tied on the roads leading to the dargah during the event. But no one spoke openly because they terrorised people with their violence,” a local lawyer observed.
Investigators suspect the same leader helped Nayeem in delaying invoking of the PD Act against Nayeem’s associates. Using his connections with some of the district authorities, this leader reportedly brokered a deal between Nayeem and them, so that invoking of the PD Act was delayed.
“Bringing this on record could be difficult but there is no doubt that this politician was instrumental in helping Nayeem and his associates on this issue,” investigators probing the matter said. Meanwhile, police are verifying the statement of a complaint Ganpaa Nagendra, a businessman from Bhongir, that he had approached the ruling TRS party MLC Nethi Vidyasagar seeking his help when Nayeem threatened him to pay Rs. 2 crore or face death in March this year.
Mr. Nagendra, in his complaint which ended in registration of a criminal case, stated the MLC had rung up his neighbour and through the latter directed him to switch on his mobile phone so that Nayeem could speak to him. “The entire phone conversation with Nethi Vidyasagar and Nayeemuddin has been recorded in my mobile phone,” he said in the complaint. Investigators are trying to collect the audio file from Mr. Nagendra’sphone and ascertain its veracity.
Interestingly, the complainant also mentioned that Nayeem had suspected his role in invoking the PD Act against his associates Pasham Srinivas and Sudhakar. “The decision to initiate PD Act against them was actually initiated at a top level,” a police officer remarked.
‘He helped the gangster in delaying invoking of PD Act against his associates’
