Hyderabad: The Banjara Hills police on Sunday booked BRS Kodangal MLA Patnam Narender Reddy and his associates on charges of extortion, wrongful confinement and assault, on a complaint from a farmer from Rajendranagar, in connection with a land dispute.
The police initiated action against the MLA on the instructions of a city court.
Sama Indrapal Reddy, the complainant farmer, told Deccan Chronicle that the MLA and his men confined him to the MLA’s quarters at Banjara Hills, where the MLA threatened to kill him, in June 2022.
“I lodged a complaint with Banjara Hills police, but they did not act on the complaint. I went to the Hyderabad police commissioner, West Zone DCP and all police officers concerned for action, but none of them responded. I was forced to go to court to seek justice,” he said.
Indrapal Reddy added that the court issued orders to initiate action against the MLA a while ago, but the police only informed him two days ago about registering a case and asking him to produce evidence in the case.
In his complaint, Indrapal Reddy said he came into contact with Narender Reddy in 2018, when he was planning to buy land. They introduced him to landowners in Upperpally of Rajendranagar, following which a deal was fixed for Rs 3.65 crore, including the commission for the MLA and his associates.
“I paid them Rs 90 lakh and also gave blank cheques of Rs 2.75 crore as a surety. They promised to return my cheques after making the full payment. Accordingly, I paid the owners and the land registration was done,” he said.
Later, he said, he paid Rs 20 lakh to the MLA and his associates, as per their demand, and asked them to return his cheques, but they asked him to pay Rs 60 lakh. Indrapal Reddy said he tried to borrow money to pay them, but could not get a loan.
He alleged that since then, the MLA and his associates started sending him threatening messages and making calls. “In June 2022, the MLA’s men came to my house in my absence, abused my wife and demanded she send me to MLA’s home immediately. When I went to the MLA’s house, they confined me, beat me and threatened to kill me,” he said.
He said that he managed to flee the premises and approached the police, alleging laxity on their part in taking action so far.
The police said that a case was registered under sections 342, 384, 323, 506 and 34 of the IPC and 156(3) of the CrPC, and transferred to the Film Nagar police station due to jurisdictional issues.
