Date:15/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/15/stories/2008071553070300.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Four held, deerskin seized

Staff Reporter

VISAKHAPATNAM: Four persons were arrested and deerskin was seized from them in a raid conducted by the city task force police on Monday.

Giving the details to the media, Deputy Commissioner of Police (law and order) K.V.V. Gopala Rao said that the four accused persons -- B. Rajesh, A. Vamsi, B. Ravi Kumar and V. Suresh (all from the city) -- were arrested by task force SI Anand Reddy and his team when they were in possession of deerskin in the steel plant area.

On interrogation they revealed that they purchased it at Addateegala in the agency area and were taking it to sell to someone in the steel plant area. They claimed that they purchased the deerskin for Rs. 30,000 and clinched a deal for selling the skin, numbering four, for Rs.30,000 each. Mr. Gopala Rao said that interrogation and searches also revealed that one of the accused persons, Suresh, also cheated a government official. The accused person allegedly made the official part with his land document with the promise of selling it at a high price. He made a duplicate copy of the document and returned the original to the owner.

Subsequently, Suresh, who was also a dealer for Ambica Durbar Bathi (Eluru), obtained a loan of Rs.22 lakhs from a company by pledging the fake document.