Scam forces top cop to cancel vacation

Vijayawada Commissioner of Police Gautam Sawang was forced to cancel his Christmas vacation due to the ongoing call money scam in the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh.

Opposition parties did not take the CP’s vacation from December 17-27 lightly and have accused Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu of deliberately sending the officer on leave to allow the case involving his party functionaries to die a natural death.

This forced Sawang to cancel his vacation to Australia despite planning for the holidays a month in advance to meet his children and other relatives.

Request for cancellation

“I have requested DGP JV Ramudu to cancel my leave so that I can stay on,” Sawang told a press conference at Vijayawada on Wednesday, insisting that he was not under political pressure.

Appointment of former Vijayawada CP Surendra Babu as temporary replacement was effective, Sawang insisted, though his staying on had made the arrangement redundant.

Arrests made

Police have so far arrested 70 private money lenders and confiscated thousands of promissory notes, documents and cash from call money scamsters in Vijayawada, East Godavari, West Godavari and Kadapa districts.

Women cheated by the money lenders are still queuing up at the CP’s office.

Oppn reaction

Opposition YSR Congress leader Ambati Rambabu said TDP leaders tried sending Sawang on leave to escape the law, since the CP is a straightforward person.

Speaking in Vijayawada on Tuesday, DGP Ramulu clarified that the leave was sanctioned a month before and Sawang would continue the probe returning from Australia.

NHRC, meanwhile, issued notice to Andhra Pradesh  government on the sex racket in call money scam.