The Hyderabad police today opposed the bail plea of former Andhra Pradesh minister Bhuma Akhila Priya, who is the
prime accused in the
kidnapping of former badminton player Praveen Rao and his two brothers.
The police filed a counter-plea in response to the bail petition filed by Priya in which they told the court that they did not intend to file a false case against the former minister, and were trying to get to the bottom of the matter in a fair manner.
They also told the court that it would not be wise to grant bail to the prime accused in the case at this point as several special police teams were still in the process of gathering evidence pertinent to the kidnapping case and of recording the statements of the witnesses.
"Granting bail to Bhuma Akhila Priya will giver her the opportunity to intimidate and influence the witnesses. Being the daughter of a former politician and a former minister herself, she has considerable clout among the locals. Many people are scared of her. She also has the economic resources to sway witnesses. Thus, it is in the best interest of the case to reject the accused's bail plea," the police said.
They also filed a separate petition seeking to remand her to seven days of custody. In it, they told the court that they had found evidence of Priya's involvement in several other criminal cases as well.
Meanwhile, the younger sister of the former minister, Bhuma Mounika, appealed to Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao to protect her elder sister, claiming that her life was in danger.
Speaking to the media, Mounika alleged that the police were withholding information about the health condition of her sister who was in need of medical attention, and claimed that her sister was suffering from dehydration.
She also alleged that the police were targeting and harassing her sister unfairly.