VISAKHAPATNAM:   The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing the knife attack on Opposition Leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, continued questioning of prime accused Janepalli Srinivasa Rao and people associated with him on Monday.  The interrogation was conducted under the leadership of City Police Commissioner Mahesh Chandra Laddha.

“We have seized a tab (Tablet PC) and four mobile phones from the accused. We also found three bank accounts being used by the accused. We are verifying the transactions through the accounts,” an SIT official said. The SIT officials are going to issue notices to all political leaders, including Jagan, for recording their statements to facilitate a speedy probe. 

The SIT found that the prime accused frequently changed his mobile phones and SIM cards. He also made thousands of calls to various persons.   Meanwhile, SIT officials along with the local police personnel continued their probe at Thanelanka village, the native place of the accused, in Mummidivaram mandal. The SIT team visited Andhra Bank, State Bank of India and one private sector bank on Monday to inquire about his money transactions.

They came to know that his family had availed `4 lakh as housing loan from a private bank and for that Rao is paying around `11 ,000 every month as EMI. He also took an insurance policy for about `2 lakh and he is paying around `5,500 half-yearly.  

Recently, his family celebrated a function in a grand manner. At that time, Rao reportedly told his friends, “Very soon, I am going to purchase a big asset as a sound party came into my contact”.  Police also found another 20-page letter just like the first one which was seized by the CISF. Police officials also came to know that the accused purchased the rooster-fight knife during the Sankranti season (January).

SIT also found that the controversial poster with Jagan’s picture on it was ordered by Rao on December 29 and 30 at Lepakshi Flexi Centre at P Gannavaram.   Meanwhile, Laddha made it clear that the sentences mentioned in the remand report that the ‘accused made an attempt to murder on Jagan’ is the version of the Opposition Leader and that it is not the police opinion. 

HC to hear case tomorrow 
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Monday posted the hearing to Wednesday on the petition filed by former YSRC MP YV Subba Reddy, seeking a direction to State government to forthwith handover the investigation to any independent agency to investigate wthe attack on Jagan.