Particle.news
Download on the App Store

YSRCP MLC Anantha Babu Arrested Outside Court Over Alleged Witness Tampering in 2022 Driver Murder Case

The arrest intensifies a court-ordered reinvestigation pushed by the new Andhra Pradesh government.

Overview

  • Police took the suspended legislator into custody on Friday outside the Rajahmundry court after a hearing on a petition to cancel his bail.
  • A fresh case filed at Sarpavaram Police Station on April 20 followed complaints from four witnesses who said they were abducted, confined in a Kakinada apartment, offered Rs 1 lakh each, and threatened with death to change their statements.
  • Kakinada police formed special teams to find him after he allegedly went into hiding, and they later sidelined the Sarpavaram inspector over failures in the search.
  • Prosecutors argue the alleged coercion violates his bail terms and could lead to cancellation, with police saying he will likely be produced before a Kakinada court.
  • The case traces back to the May 2022 death of driver V. Subrahmanyam, a Dalit, after an alleged assault over a Rs 20,000 dispute, which the SC/ST Special Court ordered reinvestigated in July 2025 under the new TDP-led government.