Hyderabad: Bringing the rot within the state police force, the Telangana government has suspended five police officials including an additional superintendent of CID for their alleged links with a Maoist-turned-notorious gangster Mohammed Nayeemuddin alias Nayeem.
State Director General of Police Anurag Sharma issued the orders suspending the officials nine months after Nayeemuddin was shot dead by the police in an alleged encounter at Shadnagar, 40 kms from Hyderabad.
Those suspended include additional SP, CID, Maddipati Srinivas, ACP (Detective Department) C Srinivas Rao, and Assistant Commissioner, Mir Chowk Division, Hyderabad M Srinivas Rao, Police Inspector Kothagudem Raja Gopal and Traffic Inspector Mastan Vali. They had allegedly helped Nayeem and his gangs in their activities in Naglonda, Mahbubnagar and Ranga Reddy districts when they were posted there. Nayeem and his gang was active in these areas creating terror among the real estate dealers, builders and other businessmen.
They had also grabbed land belonging to the common people.
Anurag Sharma also ordered further inquiry against another four police officials and departmental action against 16 officials. They include Additional SPs Amarinder Reddy and Chandrasekhar, Deputy Commissioner of police Tirupathanna, Inspectors Srinvas Naidu, Kishan, Srinivas Rao, Venkat Reddy, Abdul Majeed, Surya Prakash, Ravi Kiran Reddy, Balwanthaiah, Narender Goud and Ravinder apart from some head constables and constables.
Soon after the alleged encounter in August last, the state government had ordered a probe by a team headed by senior IPS officer Nagi Reddy into the alleged links between Nayeem and several police officials.
There was also talk of the investigation team recovering a diary from Nayeem’s den with the details of pay-offs to several police officials, his meetings and phone conversations with them and also their photographs in Nayeem’s company.
The police at the time had claimed recovering documents of lands and properties worth several billions of rupees, gold and diamond jewellery from Nayeem and his gang members.
The name of an IPS officer Sriram Tiwari, then head of anti Maoist intelligence wing SIB, was also mentioned among those who had links with Nayeem. But Tiwari, who is now leading a retired life, met the DGP and explained that he had only met Nayeem as part of his professional duties and had no other interaction or dealing with him.
Nayeem was involved in several murder cases including that of DIG KS Vyas.