Hyderabad, Mar 6 (HT) : Police arrested the son of an Andhra Pradesh minister for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in Hyderabad’s posh Banjara Hills area following outrage over reported police inaction, TV reports said on Sunday.
Ravela Susheel, son of senior Telugu Desam Party leader and social justice minister Ravela Kishore Babu, surrendered on Saturday after police registered a case against him and his driver M Ramesh.
According to the complainant – a teacher – Susheel and Ramesh followed her in a whiter SUV, passing lewd remarks and also tried to pull her into the car last Thursday.
Susheel denied any such act but a CCTV grab – played out on loop on the TVs – showed a white SUV with a VIP sticker closely following the woman walking on Road no 13 in Banjara Hills.
The woman said she moved away from the car and raised an alarm, following which the locals and her husband, who was nearby, gathered and beat up Susheel and his driver.
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Deputy Commissioner of Police Venkateshwera Rao said the case was registered under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) .
The case initially was filed only against the driver, triggering outrage in the city.
Kishore Babu told the press on Saturday that he would not interfere in police proceedings.
“If the crime took place or not would be revealed through the police probe. I would not support such acts committed by anyone. I have faith in the constitution and the law. We would not interfere in the case,” Kishore Babu said.