Cybercrime police arrest, release Shabbir Ali, Mallu Ravi; book cases against strategist Sunil Kanugolu office

HYDERABAD: In an unexpected move, on Tuesday night Cybercrime police of Cyberabad commissionerate raided the social media office of Congress party's election strategist Sunil Kanugolu.

According to Assistant Commissioner of police, Prasad, of Cybercrimes, the police received complaints from five different persons alleging that the office was running two social media pages, one of them was "Aapanna Hastam", which was making posts denigrating the ruling party.

The ACP said that the Cybercrime police registered five FIRs against the social media posts made by the office of Sunil Kanugolu.

The police, in a late evening swoop, asked all the staff members to leave the premises.

Even as the police were inquiring into the details, Congress leaders Mallu Ravi and Mohammed Ali Shabbir, reached the spot and protested against the police raid on the social media office of the Congress strategist Sunil Kanugolu.

Mr Shabbir said that the police were resorting to a high handed behaviour and that the midnight raid was unjust and was perpetrated by the TRS Government. "It's not a murder case or a grave crime that warranted the police attention at the dead of the night. The police could have inquired during the day time. Initially, five plainclothesmen descended on the office and intruded and when asked, they said their ACP would come. Upon persistent questioning, they said they were Cybercrime police." Meanwhile, the ACP reached the scene and confirmed that there were five FIRs registered against the office and the "derogatory social media posts", including the "aapanna hastam" page being run from there.

Former MP Mallu Ravi said that several youths, including girls were working at the office, and the police hounded them out. He cried foul and alleged that the TRS Government was resorting to high handed behaviour.

Meanwhile, TPCC president A Revanth Reddy, in a statement, condemned the police raid.

The Congress war room was exposing the follies of the TRS Government and asked to what had the police got to do there. The TRS Government was thwarting any voice that was raise against it and instigating the police on the Congress war room.

To protest the midnight swoop by the police, the TPCC would stage a dharna in front of the Cyberabad Police Commissionerate on Wednesday. He gave call to Congress workers to protest in all mandal headquarters on Wednesday.

The police arrested Congress leaders Shabbir and Ravi and took them into custody. Later, the police set them free.