In a new twist to cash-for-vote case, Andhra Pradesh CID on Wednesday issued notices to gunman and driver of a Telangana minister, hours after the Telangana ACB served notice to driver of Nara Lokesh, son of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
The Crime Investigation Department (CID) on Wednesday night issued notices to Satyanarayana and Janaki Ram, driver and gunman respectively of Telangana's Information Technology Minister K. Tarakarama Rao for allegedly threatening accused Jerusalem Muthaiah to name Naidu as an accused in the case.
The CID has asked the duo to appear before it for questioning on Aug 14 in Vijayawada.
The notices, however, could not be handed over the duo till late in the night as they could not be traced.
The CID officials first went to the camp office of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to serve the notices. On not finding the duo, they drove to his son Tarakarama Rao's house in Banjara Hills. Both the driver and gunman were not found at the minister's house.
The officials also made a visit to the office of Telangana intelligence wing to serve the notices.
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The CID issued notices on the basis of a statement given by Muthaiah, who is an absconding accused in the cash-for-vote case registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Telangana.
The notices to the minister's driver and gunman were issued hours after ACB served notice on Kondal Reddy, the driver of Nara Lokesh.
A team of ACB officials visited the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) office to hand over the notice, asking Kondal Reddy to appear before it on Thursday to give a statement about the cash for vote scam.
ACB summoned Kondal Reddy as his name figured during the questioning of other suspects in the case.
The sensational case had come to light on May 31 when TDP legislator in Telangana, A Revanth Reddy and two others were arrested by the ACB while allegedly paying a bribe of Rs.50 lakh to a nominated member Elvis Stephenson, to secure his vote for a TDP candidate in the state legislative council elections.
The ACB had arrested another TDP candidate Sandra Venkata Veeraiah in the case. It questioned TDP candidate in council elections Vem Narendra Reddy and others.
An audio recording of a purported telephonic conversation between Naidu and the nominated legislator was also aired on some television channels in June.
Telangana's ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) alleged that Naidu is the mastermind of the cash for vote scam, while the TDP which is in power in Andhra Pradesh alleged that Telangana government had indulged in tapping of Naidu's phone.