HYDERABAD: The lure of money and an all expenses-paid Europe trip made Telangana Rashtra Samithi MLA Kasipeta Lingaiah take the human smuggling bait.

"I went to the visa interview at the U.S. Consulate, Chennai, with an unidentified woman, and falsely presented her as my wife," he confessed to police here on Wednesday.

Mr. Lingaiah, who was taken into police custody after surrendering before a local court a week ago in connection with a passport fraud case registered against him, was produced before a court. He was remanded to judicial custody till May 11.

In his confessional statement, the MLA told investigators that he was promised 50 per cent of the money the woman would pay if she secured the visa. The remaining amount would go to Rasheed, the alleged kingpin in the racket of smuggling people abroad, who is presently in judicial custody. The TRS legislator said he initially refused to attend the visa interview when Rasheed explained to him about human smuggling and tried to convince him that none in the Consulate would verify the facts. Eventually, he agreed when the agent offered lakhs of rupees and a trip to Europe with family members.

He attended the interview but the visa was declined. "I can identify the woman if she is presented before me. I have introduced Rasheed to my party MLA from the Boath constituency, Soyam Bapu Rao," Mr. Lingaiah said.

He reiterated that TRS president K. Chandrashekhar Rao conspired to implicate him in a false case.

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