Senior IPS officer Stephen Ravindra has reportedly been selected to be the new intelligence department chief of Andhra Pradesh.
With the model code of conduct ending on Sunday, the continuation of senior IPS officer Kumar Viswajeet, who was appointed by the Election Commission as the AP intelligence chief during the election period, is at the discretion of the new government under the leadership of Jaganmohan Reddy, and the latter is reported to have picked Ravindra.
A 1999 batch IPS officer, Ravindra is currently working as an Inspector General of Police in the Hyderabad range of Telangana. He is also heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the government of Telangana to look into the data theft scam that shook Andhra Pradesh and Telangana recently.
Ravindra had earlier in his career worked as the Chief Security Officer to former Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, and was close to YSR's family. He is known for controlling factionalism in Anantapur when he worked as the district SP during the tenure of YSR. He also served as the Warangal SP when YSR held talks with the Maoists in 2004, and shot to fame with his fight against Maoism.
Ravindra left for Vijayawada on Monday to meet Jaganmohan Reddy.
It will take another 15 days for Ravindra to be relieved from the Telangana police service as both the States have to write letters to the Centre for the transfer of the IPS officer.