Man held for issuing threats to youths

A 25-year-old man from Telangana was arrested by the Anakapalle Town police on Thursday for allegedly impersonating a police officer and threatening a youth.

The accused was identified as M. Pandari (25) of Sangareddy district in Telangana State.

“A youth from Anakapalle received a call from the accused, who identified himself as a police officer. The accused ordered the youth to get his head tonsured failing which he would be booked under several cases. The youth, scared for his safety, got himself tonsured. Later, sensing foul play, he lodged a complaint with the police,” Anakapalle Inspector (Town) K. Bhaskara Rao said.

Acting on a tip-off, the police arrested the accused from his native place and brought him to Visakhapatnam after following legal procedures.

Police chalked up the strange demand of the accused to a deep-seated jealousy of those with long hair. He is learnt to have issued similar threats to several other people, police said.

“The accused, after dropping out of school, eked out a livelihood as a shepherd. He spends most of the time watching dance shows on social media. He developed a jealousy of people having long hair and is learnt to have called people and making similar demands. He threatened them that he would file cases against them if they did not heed his instructions,” Mr Bhaskara Rao said.

The Anakapalle police produced the accused in court and sent him to judicial custody.