11 arrested for dumping chemical drums in open

The mystery dogging the police for six months now over who was dumping hazardous chemical drums in open areas in Yadadri Bhongir district has been solved. Rachakonda police finally lay their hands on the culprits and arrested 11 persons on Sunday with the aid of evidence gleaned from CCTV footage.

Police said that the suspects who include employees of private pharma companies from different parts of the city had been dumping the chemical drums out in open spaces instead of shifting them to treatment plants, which involves high costs. DCP Yadadri Bhongir Zone E. Ramachandra Reddy said several of the suspects were off casting away the drums illegally at the behest of their managements. The activity, been going on for months in Yadadri, Motakondur, Bhongir Rural, Bommalaramaram villages, spread panic among villagers given that the drums contained chemical and there was no clue about who was leaving them there. As many as six cases had been registered at Yadadri district and two in neighbouring Jangaon district.

However, relief came via CCTV footage analysing by investigating teams were able to identify an SUV no TS 03EL 5386 carrying some drums. Yadadri police conducted checks on vehicles on the Warangal highway and intercepted the suspect vehicle on Sunday.

Police later seized two more trucks transporting hazardous chemical drums to the open areas based on questioning of the driver. A 36-year-old man was apprehended for making derogatory remarks against ‘Bharat Mata’ by the police on Sunday.

The man, identified as Yalamanchili Vijay Kumar alias Br. Vijay, director of Christ Gospel Team, was arrested on the basis of a complaint filed by T. Kunal Rao, 30, a businessman living at Hussaini Alam, stating that Vijay had allegedly said in his speech ‘How many husbands does Bharat Mata have? Three crores’. The complaint stated, “He had also made a hate speech earlier in August,” police said.

A case was booked against the man under relevant sections of the IPC.