Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (JD)

Udupi, Sep 6: Telugu film producer Nutan Naidu, who is facing charges of assaulting a Dalit boy in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, has been arrested from Udupi railway station here.

As per reports, the Dalit youth named Parri Srikanth was harassed by his wife Madhuri for allegedly stealing a pen. 

The boy was tonsured as punishment on August 28, a video of which went viral on social media. Sources said that Naidu had made video calls to his wife the same day and had hurled casteist slurs at Srikanth.

An FIR was filed and seven persons including the producer's wife were arrested on August 29.

It is alleged that Naidu, a former participant of the reality show 'Bigg Boss', had even tried to impersonate a retired IAS officer in order to put pressure on medical officers to issue a certificate of illness to his wife and five others, so as to secure their release. Nutan himself had gone absconding.

Naidu had impersonated IAS officers not only to secure medical certificates in this case, but also to cheat other people, sources said. He had changed his details on True Caller app to falsely reflect his number as that of chief secretary of Andhra Pradesh chief minister's office. His impersonation came to light after calls to medical officers in the assault case raised suspicions.

Based on credible information received from Vishakpatnam police on Saturday September 5, he was arrested from Udupi railway station. Police sources said that Naidu was trying to flee to Mumbai from Mangaluru by train. He attempted to escape even after the police caught him, and threw away a mobile phone while doing so, police sources said. The police have recovered four mobile phones from him.

Naidu has been produced in the court and has been handed over to Vishakpatnam police for further investigation.