Providential escape for Kodela

By Our Staff Reporter

GUNTUR, NOV. 29. The former Minister for Panchayat Raj, Dr. Kodela Sivaprasada Rao, had a providential escape on Wednesday. The police detected five powerful explosives, which were to be planted on the route taken by him, on the Kotappakonda ghat road.

According to the Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) of Police, Mr. M. Malakondaiah, the police had advance information about an ``arms dump somewhere near Narasaraopet'' from an anonymous caller almost three days ago. Special search parties were constituted by the Superintendent of Police, Mr. J. Purnachandra Rao. Though serious searches were conducted, the police could detect nothing. Meanwhile, another unidentified caller informed the police that the ``dump'' could have been at Kotappakonda on Wednesday afternoon. Though the information was vague in nature, the DIG said the police did not want to take any chance. Immediately, the search parties and Narasaraopet police rushed to Kotappakonda road.

Meanwhile, Dr. Sivaprasada Rao, who did not have any knowledge of the goings-on, had been on to the hill to have darshan of the presiding deity, Lord Trikuteswara. While the police were conducting the search, they detected a black bag in which five trunk boxes were packed. Soon, they opened it to find to their utter astonishment a huge haul of explosives, gelatin sticks and a 30-metre-long fuse wire.

The DIG immediately sent the bomb-disposal squad which confirmed the possible intensity of the explosives - it could throw a vehicle to 50 metres away from the place of explosion.

Mr. Malakondaiah said that some anti-social elements who were gunning for the former Minister might have kept the dump with a view to planting the same at a convenient hour. He, however, did not confirm whether it was the act of the outlawed People's War Group or political factions.

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Section  : Southern States
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