Published Oct 10, 2022 | 5:32 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 10, 2022 | 5:33 PM
K NAgeswara Rao, who was accused of rape, kidnap, and attempted murder. (Supplied)
The Hyderabad City Police on Monday, 10 October, dismissed a total of 55 policemen, including Inspector K Nageswara Rao, who is accused of raping a woman, kidnapping, and later attempting to murder her to hide evidence of the crime.
The police said that Rao, who got bail last week after languishing in jail since 9 July, had a criminal mindset that was completely proven.
“He can go to any extent to threaten, influence, and intimidate the victims and witnesses,” the police added.
Along with Rao, the police also dismissed two other inspectors, including former Lalaguda SHO K Sreenivas Reddy, who is accused of sexually harassing a women police constable.
According to the police, conducting a regular departmental inquiry — under the provisions of the TSCS (CC&A) Rules, 1991 — into Rao’s actions was impractical.
“There is every possibility that he may intimidate and influence the victim and witnesses during the inquiry,” the cops said, adding that the inquiry would also have consumed a lot of time.
“There will be no atmosphere to conduct a free and fair inquiry. Thus, it is reasonable to impose a major penalty of ‘Dismissal from Service’ to provide justice to the victim and her family,” the police explained.
Arrested in July this year, the former Marredpally SHO was booked under IPC Sections 452 (house trespass), 376(2) (rape attempt), 307 (murder attempt), and 365 (kidnap), as well as Section 30 of the Arms Act of 1959.
The victim, on 8 July, lodged a complaint against Rao, claiming he called her and demanded that she fulfil his sexual desires. “On 7 July night, he broke into my house and raped me,” she added.
While the victim’s husband stood up to Rao upon learning about the incident, the cop allegedly threatened him at gunpoint and commanded them to leave the city immediately or face dire consequences.
Alleging conspiracy, the victim said Rao arrested her husband in 2018, but instead of jailing him, Rao appointed him the caretaker of his farmhouse.
The victim’s husband told the cops that Rao attempted to rape his wife on earlier occasions as well, after which a few cops abducted him and took pictures of him with marijuana — apparently to frame him in a narcotics case — so that he did not inform his wife about the inspector’s advances.
Apart from Rao and Reddy, the police terminated one reserve inspector, three sub-inspectors, one head constable, 40 constables, four junior assistants, three LGS, and one office superintendent.
The complaints against these cops were registered in the past 10 months, from 25 December, 2021, to 7 October this year.
The categories of punishment included women-related offences, habitual absence from duty, involvement in crime, and other misconduct, including intoxication while discharging duty.
Out of the punished 55 cops, 17 have been dismissed while 22 were removed. A constable was asked to opt for compulsory retirement, while the probation of 15 was terminated.
The difference between removal and dismissal was that the former would not disqualify the person from future employment in the department, whereas the latter would.
