Cash-for-vote: Case against Telangana CM transferred to CID

Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday transferred a criminal case lodged earlier against Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao by one of the accused inthe cash-for-vote scam, allegedly involving a Telugu Desam Party MLA, to the Crime Investigation Department.

The case registered here against the Telangana CM last week was on Tuesday transferred to the CID on the directions of the state government, a senior police officer said.

The case under various sections of IPC, including criminal intimidation, was lodged against Rao by Jerusalem Muthaiah, one of the accused in the cash-for-vote case, at Satyanarayanapuram police station under the Vijayawada police commissionerate.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu held meetings with senior police officials on this issue at Hyderabad on Tuesday, the officer said.

In his complaint, Muthaiah had alleged that some followers of the Telangana CM visited his house in Hyderabad and threatened him and his family members, to give a statement against the Andhra Pradesh CM.

His complaint alleged that Rao’s followers also took him to some unknown places and assaulted him several times, due to which he came to Vijayawada in order to be safe in his relative’s house.

The Telangana ACB is questioning TDP legislator Revanth Reddy and two others, already arrested in connection with the cash-for-vote case, for allegedly trying to hand over bribe of Rs 50 lakh to nominated MLA Elvys Stephenson into voting for the TDP nominee in recently-held legislative council elections.