Hyderabad: An accused who was involved in an attack on Chief Minister designate N. Chandrababu Naidu in 2003 has escaped to Dubai as the police tried to track him down after the election results, suspecting him to be a possible security threat to the CM designate.
Gangi Reddy, a known Red Sanders smuggler hailing from Vathuluru in Pullampeta mandal of Kadapa, is believed to have fled to Dubai from Hyderabad on May 21.
He jumped bail in a Red Sanders case booked against him in Kurnool.
Though he was acquitted in the 2003 claymore mine blast attack case on Mr Naidu, police agencies assessing the security threats began tracking him down from May 17, the day after the results were out.
Gangi Reddy had allegedly helped Naxals in carrying out the claymore mine attack on Mr Naidu when he was on his way to Tirumala.
Fearing that the police would target him, Gangi Reddy is suspected to have fled the country.
A senior police official said, “Gangi Reddy had supplied cellphones and supported Maoists financially in the attack on Naidu. After we started the hunt for him, he sensed trouble and fled to the UAE.”
UAE is the transit destination of Red Sanders wood and it is suspected one Sahul Hameed, kingpin of the racket, has local connections. Police from Kurnool, who were tracking Reddy’s mobile and came to the city, returned empty handed.
“Sahul had links with Rayalaseema-based smugglers V. Ramnath Reddy and Bala. Ramnath Reddy is in turn linked to Gangi Reddy. Ramnath is right now in Badvel jail,” a police official said in connection with a case of Red Sanders smuggling.”
On March 4 this year, the police had seized 2000 logs of Red Sanders worth Rs 5 crore in a godown near Veldurthi town of Kurnool and had named Gangi Reddy as an accused. He was arrested on April 4, remanded to judicial custody and released on bail on May 16.
The attack on Chandrababu Naidu’s convoy took place on October 1, 2003 near the Alipiri toll gate. The key accused and top Maoist leader, Patel Sudhakar Reddy, was killed in an encounter later. Another key accused, Maoist hit man Takkelapalli Vasudeva Rao alias Ashanna is still absconding.
Around 33 accused were named in the case out of whom several were acquitted while some are still at large.
