Former Andhra Pradesh intelligence chief and senior IPS officer P Sitharama Anjaneyulu was arrested by the state CID from Hyderabad on Tuesday in connection with the alleged harassment of Mumbai-based actor Kadambari Jethwani.

Although charges of forgery and extortion were levied against the actor by the police during the YSRCP regime, she had alleged that the police tried to pressure her into withdrawing a sexual assault case she had filed against an industrialist close to YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

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Anjaneyulu, who was close to former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, was already suspended for his involvement in the case, along with two of his colleagues, Kranti Rana Tata, the former Vijayawada police commissioner, and Vishal Gunni, former deputy commissioner. They were accused of wrongful arrest of the actor and harassment faced by her family without any investigation or evidence. All three were suspended by incumbent Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in September last year after the DGP submitted his report.

Jethwani and her family were arrested in Mumbai before being brought to Vijayawada. She spent 40 days in prison after a film producer and YSRCP leader KVR Vidyasagar filed a complaint of cheating, forgery, and extortion against her.

The actor had alleged that the case against her was fabricated and politically motivated. She filed a complaint of criminal conspiracy after the coalition government came to power and named the police officers involved. Subsequently, the CID took up the case.

Anjaneyulu, who wielded immense clout in the YSRCP regime, was one of the key officers who framed the charges against her and planned the arrest. Jethwani’s arrest was one of the key cases of alleged misuse of power during the YSRCP regime that came to light only after the change of government.

TDP MLA D Narendra Kumar said, “PSR Anjaneyalu acted as ‘YSR’ Anjaneyalu with arrogance of authority. His arrest proves no one is above the law. We’ve seen how he misused power to harass not only TDP leaders but also common people and women who differed with him by weaponizing his role as ACB DG and intelligence chief in false cases.”

Meanwhile, the YSRCP accused Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of vindictive politics. Party spokesperson Ambati Rambabu accused him of targeting a respected IPS officer for his role in Naidu’s arrest in the skill development scam. He added that the arrests were being made to divert people’s attention from the failures of the administration.