The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Tirupati News : Student held on `blackmail' charge

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Saturday, Mar 19, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Tirupati

Student held on `blackmail' charge

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUPATI, MARCH 18. The Tirupati police have arrested Y. Lokesh Kumar, a third year Pharmacy student of a private college, for allegedly demanding ransom from his college principal.

In what was termed as the `blackmail letter' written by him, he had demanded payment of a ransom of Rs. 50,000 from his principal, else "his son would be in trouble."

Making the letter public and producing the student at a media conference on Friday, the Additional Superintendent of Police, J. Brahma Reddy, said Lokesh, a native of Perumallapalle in Yadamarri mandal, had mentioned in the letter that `his gang' was keeping track of the principal's movements and threatened him with dire consequences if his demand was not met. The principal was instructed to leave the money near a milestone near Tiruchanur on the newly laid Tirupati bypass road.

"Our sleuths lay in wait near the spot and caught him red-handed when he came there to take the money," Mr. Reddy explained.

Debt trap

Lokesh said he had met with a road accident sometime ago and had to meet his and his victim's medical expenses, thus entangling himself in a debt trap. "Unable to bear the threats from moneylenders, I was forced to do it," he admitted.

The boy's father works as an RTC bus conductor in Chittoor.

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