High drama at Telangana minister's residence as police try to take aide into custody

Hyderabad, Oct 16 (PTI) High drama unfolded at the residence of Telangana Forest and Endowments Minister Konda Surekha here when police arrived to take custody of the minister's Officer on Special Duty (OSD) N Sumanth, who was recently terminated over alleged irregularities.

Based on information that Sumanth was present at the minister's residence, Task Force personnel (a wing of police) reached there on October 15 night to pick him up as part of an inquiry, police sources said on Thursday, declining to elaborate further over the matter.

However, Surekha’s daughter, Konda Sushmitha, "confronted and questioned" the police move to take Sumanth into custody.

She objected to police in plainclothes at their home and demanded them produce the warrant. A video of the incident went viral on social media.

Subsequently, the minister and Sumanth left the house in a car.

Later speaking to reporters, Sushmitha alleged that her family was being targeted by "Reddy leaders" as they were from a Backward Class community.

"We came to know on Wednesday that Sumanth was removed as an OSD. Allegations were levelled against him of threatening an employee of a cement company with a weapon to extort money. It is a conspiracy to get a statement from Sumanth that he threatened the employee on the instance of my father Konda Murali and to implicate my father," she alleged.

The government recently terminated the services of Sumanth, who was initially appointed as an OSD in the Telangana Pollution Control Board over allegations of misconduct and corruption. He was subsequently deputed to the office of the forest minister. PTI VVK GDK VVK KH