Jagan Relative Arjun Reddy Detained at Airport Over Online Offences
Gudivada police had registered a case against him in November last year.
Hyderabad: Two activists linked to the YSR Congress Party’s social media operations were detained by Andhra Pradesh police on Monday after returning to India in connection with multiple cases involving alleged online offences and other serious allegations.
One of those detained is Arjun Reddy, a close relative of YSRC president and former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. He was intercepted by immigration officials at Shamshabad Airport in Hyderabad late on Monday night and subsequently taken into custody by the Gudivada police. Reddy had been active in the YSRC social media wing along with Sajjala Bhargav and is facing several cases across different districts.
Gudivada police had registered a case against him in November last year, accusing him of morphing and circulating obscene images of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, minister Nara Lokesh, and their family members through YSRC-linked social media platforms. As he was reportedly abroad at the time, police were unable to secure his arrest and later issued a lookout circular. Following his interception at the airport, Andhra Pradesh police teams detained him and served a notice under Section 41A of the Criminal Procedure Code. Reddy was accompanied by his legal counsel during the proceedings at the airport.
Police sources also claim that Arjun Reddy is facing cases in multiple districts and is suspected of having links to the murder of former minister Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy. Investigators allege that he was in contact with Kiran Yadav, the brother of Sunil Yadav, the second accused in the case, on the night of the murder. Recently, the Nampally CBI Court in Hyderabad directed the agency to probe these allegations further and file a supplementary charge sheet.
In a separate incident on the same day, police detained another YSRC social media activist, Battala Srinivasulu Reddy, at Kadapa Airport. A native of Badvel, Srinivasulu is accused of posting objectionable content against Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and minister Nara Lokesh during the recent election campaign. He had reportedly traveled to Gulf countries after the NDA government came to power in Andhra Pradesh and was taken into custody for questioning immediately upon his return to Kadapa.