Hyderabad: Members of the ‘ASI Mohan Reddy Victims Association’ from Karimnagar have demanded that the case against the police official, now being investigated by the state CID, should be transferred to the CBI.
Forum president Mahender Reddy said many politicians and police officers were involved in the case and hence only a CBI probe could ensure justice. B. Mohan Reddy, who was an ASI at the Choppadandi police station in Karimnagar district, operated a private finance agency in Karimnagar town. Through this, he lent huge amounts to businessmen and others at exorbitant interest. He had been in the business for more than 10 years and had lent crores to people in Karimnagar district. He used to charge a heavy rate of interest from those who borrowed money from him. He also allegedly misuse his police post and used agents to harass people who failed to pay him back.
Unable to bear the ‘torture’ of Mohan Reddy, the principal of a private Karimnagar school committed suicide. The principal left behind a suicide note in which he detailed the harassment he faced from Mohan Reddy and his gangsters after he defaulted. Mohan Reddy was later arrested for abetment to suicide. He also faces 62 other cases. After serving 134 days in prison, he came out on bail.
With around 200 victims filing complaints against him, the case was transferred to the CID. However, due to alleged soft-pedalling of the investigation by the state CID, the victims formed an association, staged a 100-day relay hunger strike in Karimnagar and organised other protests. But, the government did not intervene in the matter and the CID did not mend its ways.
Association president M Mahender Reddy said the victims’ want the case to be transferred to the CBI. “The government should seize all the assets of Mohan Reddy, his benamis and his family and issue a notification to transfer back the properties he grabbed from the victims,” Mahender Reddy said.
