Approver in Viveka murder case booked for assaulting minor boy

Amaravati: Police in Andhra Pradesh’s Pulivendula town have booked Sheikh Dastagiri, an accused-turned-approver in former minister Y. S. Vivekananda Reddy’s murder case, for allegedly assaulting a minor boy.

Acting on a complaint of a woman that Dastagiri had illegally detained and assaulted her son, police rescued the boy from his residence in Jayamma Colony in Kadapa district’s Pulivendula town.

The boy was shifted to Government Area Hospital in Pulivendula. The victim’s relatives and functionaries of ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) reached the hospital. They demanded justice for the victim’s family.

Kullayamma said that she and her husband had taken a Rs 40,000 loan on interest from Dastagiri six months ago. The couple had been paying interest every week.

As they could not pay the interest for the last 10 days, Dastargiri took away their son and detained him at his house. He also allegedly tortured the boy.

She said he also threatened them that if they revealed this to anybody, they would have to face serious consequences.

Police registered a case on the woman’s complaint. Dastagiri was also called to the police station. He, however, denied the allegations.

Dastagiri was working as driver for Vivekananda Reddy, who was murdered at his residence in Pulivendula on March 15, 2019. He was one of the accused arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He, however, turned an approver in the case.

Vivekananda Reddy was uncle of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

The CBI recently told the trial court that it has listed Kadapa MP Y. S. Avinash Reddy as one of the accused. The central agency has already arrested Avinash Reddy’s father Y. S. Bhaskar Reddy, a cousin of Vivekananda Reddy.