HYDERABAD: The Telangana state police officially arrested ex-serviceman Avula Subba Rao, director of Sai Defence Academy, on Friday in connection with the Secunderabad railway station protest case. Earlier, a team from the commissioner’s task force went to Narasaraopet in Andhra Pradesh to detain him.
On Friday, Subba Rao along with some of his staff members, were taken for medical tests at Gandhi Hospital, following which they were produced before the railway judicial magistrate at Bhoiguda. Officials from the city police confirmed that the case was still being probed by the Government Railway Police (GRP) and had not yet been transferred to the Central Crime Station of Hyderabad police.
Sources said Subba Rao was in active contact with managers of 12 of his coaching centre branches across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and owners of six other coaching centres in Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. “They all had conspired and pre-planned the arson and Subba Rao held several virtual meetings and phone calls with other owners and organisers and kept motivating them,” officials shared.
Subba Rao, who has coaching centres to train Army job aspirants at various locations in the Telugu states, was present on the day of the violence in the city, sources confirmed.
The Police said based on CCTV footage, registers of admission, along with other materials, were seized from the coaching centres. Subba Rao arrived at Secunderabad with his followers on June 16, a day before the riot, and stayed in a hotel near the railway station, the police said. The probe revealed that he met the defence job aspirants and instigated them to protest and riot at the railway station on the morning of June 17.
Subba Rao allegedly escaped to Guntur around noon, hours after the violence started at the railway station. The state police so far arrested 55 persons, while efforts are on to nab others who are absconding. The GRP also issued a notice to Sai Defence Academy in Medipally seeking explanation on the issue and asking to appear before the investigation team for questioning.
