Former Congress minister D. Sridhar Babu was booked for his alleged participation in an attempt to frame a TRS leader in a case of ‘possession of a contraband substance’.
The Chikadpally police received a complaint on Friday from Kishan Reddy, a TRS party man from Karimnagar, that Sridhar Babu, along with two others, O. Sudarshan and I. Bhargav, had plotted to implicate him in a false case. The complainant provided an audio recording to support his claims. The recording, purportedly a conversation between Sridhar Babu and Sudarshan, discussing the plot, is yet to be examined by authorities for authenticity.
“I plan to get Kishan Reddy caught in a ganja case,” Sudarshan can be heard telling the ex-minister in the alleged conversation that took place.
“Tell me when you plant it. Let us do it in Hyderabad and not in Duggal,” Babu allegedly said while responding.
In a press note, the Central Zone police stated that Sudarshan and a minor had placed marijuana in Mr Reddy’s shed but later removed it after developing cold feet. The incident came to light when the sarpanch of Odedu village came to know about the plot. The audio recording was allegedly downloaded from Sudarshan’s phone by the complainant.
The police also stated that their investigation revealed that Sudarshan had indeed contacted the ex-minister’s mobile at 10.30 a.m. on September 3. The trio have been booked under NDPS Act.
Police said they would arrest prime accused Sudarshan and examine the evidence before taking action against other accused.
‘Govt trying to fix me’
Meanwhile, former Minister and Congress leader Duddila Sridhar Babu termed the case filed against him politically motivated and said the Government was trying to target him given his growing popularity and appreciation of his sincere work for the people.
Reacting to the case filed against him based on some alleged taped conversation, he said he was surprised at the speed with which the police had registered the case without verifying the facts. “Those who follow my political career and personally know me know that I don’t indulge in criminal activities and there have never been such incidents in my career,” he said adding that he had to figure out what he spoke in those tapes.
“I never bought any land as is being alleged. In fact, our family donated more than 100 acres after the Land Ceiling Act,” he said.
