The Hindu : Front Page : Emigration racket: case against TRS MLA

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Friday, Apr 27, 2007
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Emigration racket: case against TRS MLA

Marri Ramu

He allegedly secured a passport for a woman in his wife's name

HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad city police suo moto registered a criminal case against Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MLA Kasipeta Lingaiah here on Thursday in connection with an emigration racket.

Special teams were formed to arrest Mr. Lingaiah and an unidentified woman, believed to be hailing from Gujarat, for whom he allegedly secured a passport in the name of his wife Tara. Sections 420 and 419 of the Indian Penal Code and relevant provisions of the Passport Act were invoked against the legislator.

"Based on media reports, we began inquiries and found prima facie evidence against the legislator," Hyderabad Police Commissioner Balwinder Singh told The Hindu . The MLA from Nerella in Karimnagar district became unavailable soon after reports came out accusing him of indulging in the passport scam.

Mr. Lingaiah allegedly secured a passport from the Regional Passport Office, Hyderabad, on January 25 this year for the unidentified woman in his wife's name. The charge was that he substituted his wife's photograph with that of the accused woman. Ms. Tara's photograph was replaced even in the photocopy of the ration card submitted for identity proof. While the ration card had a Karimnagar address, his MLA Quarters address in Erramanzil colony here was given in the passport application. All this pointed an accusing finger at the MLA. The Commissioner said unconfirmed reports suggesting the involvement of a few other legislators would also be verified.

Mr. Singh said the police were not sure whether the same travel agent Rasheed, whose name cropped up during investigation into the emigration racket by the Delhi police, aided and abetted the TRS MLA also. A couple of criminal cases were registered against a Hyderabad-based travel agent Rasheed earlier in the Saifabad police station here. Efforts were on to locate the agent.

Ministry's cooperation

Stating that the Ministry of External Affairs was also working closely with the city police, Regional Passport Officer (RPO) B. Balabhaskar said the woman who personated for Mr. Lingaiah's wife would be questioned first. Later, Ms. Tara would also be questioned.

Asked whether the names of other TRS legislators Soyam Bapu Rao and Kambhampati Lakshma Reddy, and MPs A. Narendra and Ravindra Naik also figured in the scam, Mr. Balabhaskar said the details of passport applications and other information pertaining to all those leaders were being retrieved from the records. The police would be informed if any incriminating evidence was found against them, he said.

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