Political influence, money behind my arrest by Andhra Pradesh police, says Mumbai actress

Amaravati: A Mumbai-based model cum actress, who was allegedly illegally arrested by the Andhra Pradesh police leading to the suspension of three senior IPS officers, on Monday said besides law enforcement officials, there was political influence behind her detention in February this year.

Speaking to NDTV, the actress said a false case was foisted on her to threaten her to withdraw a complaint she lodged against a top corporate honcho in Mumbai and that she was kept in prison in AP for 42 days before being released on bail.

“ I believe there is a lot of political manipulation, money and power involved ( in the arrest). Without that level of money and power involved, this level of orchestration I would say would not have happened…I do believe that a higher level of political influence and money and power are involved,” she said.

The actress was arrested in February this year based on a complaint by K Vidyasagar, who is said to be YSR Congress Party leader, without following proper guidelines and registering an FIR, the AP government which issued orders suspending the three officials said on Sunday.

Former intelligence chief P Sitharama Anjaneyulu, then Vijayawada Police Commissioner Kranti Rana Tata and Vishal Gunni, then Deputy Commissioner of Police ( Vijayawada) were suspended for their alleged role in the arrest of the model.

In her complaint, she accused the AP police officials of threatening her with dire consequences during the previous government if she did not withdraw a case she earlier filed against a top executive of a corporate house in Mumbai.

The actress further said in order to shield the businessman against whom she filed a case in Mumbai, the AP police filed a false case and arrested her.

Based on her complaint with AP police the state government had recently suspended two officials.

The three officials were among those 16 IPS officers who were issued a memo on August 14 directing them to mark their ‘attendance’ in the DGP's office twice a day, without assigning any post.