Telangana HC allowed police custody of accused in "Operation Lotus"

Hyderabad:The High Court ruled on Saturday that three individuals who were held in Telangana for allegedly attempting to snatch MLAs from Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao's party Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) can be taken back into custody.

After the lower court rejected a police request for their custody, the men were released on Thursday.

The accused, who is allegedly connected to the BJP, was given notices under Section 41, which permits police to detain someone without a warrant, by the court due to a lack of evidence.

On Wednesday night, the suspects were apprehended at a farm outside of Hyderabad. According to the police, they were caught in the act of bribing four BRS MLAs to defect to the BJP, a scheme known as "Operation Lotus" by the opposition to the party.

Pilot Rohit Reddy, an MLA who owns the property, allegedly provided the police with information regarding the "deal," according to the police.

On the basis of Mr Reddy's complaint, which claims that four MLAs were offered 250 crores, a First Information Report, or FIR, was subsequently filed, NDTV reported.

According to Telangana police commissioner Stephen Raveendra, the MLAs called the police and claimed they were being "lured and bribed to change parties."

"They said they were offered big money, contracts and posts to switch parties," he said.

If they didn't join the BJP, "there will be criminal cases and raids by ED (Enforcement Directorate)/CBI and the Telangana Government led by BRS party will be toppled," the FIR by Rohit Reddy said.

However, the BJP refuted the claim and asserted that the BRS had staged a drama "scripted, directed, and produced" by the Chief Minister.

Gujjula Premendar Reddy, the state's BJP general secretary, filed a request with the high court asking that the CBI take the case after alleging a BRS plot to discredit his party.

He added that the police were carrying out orders from the ruling party.

There is "no reason" for them to offer exorbitant sums for four MLAs when the ruling party has a comfortable majority, according to senior Telangana BJP leader and Union Minister Kishen Reddy.