Daijiworld Media Network – Vijayawada
Vijayawada, Apr 23: A city court on Wednesday remanded senior IPS officer and former Andhra Pradesh intelligence chief P. Sitarama Anjaneyulu to judicial custody till May 7 in connection with the alleged wrongful detention and harassment of Mumbai-based actress Kadambari Jethwani and her family.
The Andhra Pradesh CID, which arrested the suspended officer in Hyderabad on Tuesday, produced him before the third Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate in Vijayawada. Following the hearing, the court ordered 14-day judicial custody and Anjaneyulu was later shifted to the Vijayawada district prison.
Prior to the court appearance, a medical examination of Anjaneyulu was conducted at the Vijayawada Government Hospital.
Anjaneyulu, who served as director general of police, intelligence during Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s tenure, has been named as the second accused in the case. He is facing serious allegations of abusing his official power to orchestrate the arrest of actress Jethwani and her parents, reportedly under instructions from YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader Kukkala Vidyasagar.
He is one of three senior IPS officers suspended over their alleged roles in the incident. On September 15, 2024, the state government suspended Anjaneyulu, along with Kanthi Rana Tata, the then Vijayawada police commissioner, and Vishal Gunni, the then deputy commissioner of police, Vijayawada.
The case involves a complaint filed by actress Jethwani, who alleged that she and her parents were illegally arrested and harassed by police acting under political pressure. She was arrested in February 2024 following a complaint filed by Vidyasagar, who accused her of forgery, extortion, and cheating.
The case was initially registered at Ibrahimpatnam police station in NTR district. A police team, led by then DCP Vishal Guni, arrested the actress and her parents in Mumbai and brought them to Vijayawada without prior notice, allegedly violating legal procedures.
Following a change in government, the actress filed a formal complaint with NTR Police Commissioner S V Rajasekhar Babu, accusing senior police officers of colluding with Vidyasagar to falsely implicate her. She claimed that forged documents were used to frame her and that she and her parents were subjected to mental and physical harassment during over 40 days in judicial custody.
Vidya Sagar, who is said to be a film producer, has been named as the prime accused in the case, which has been registered under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code.