HYDERABAD: There appears to be good reason why the police and forest department officials are unable to arrest the man who is now being described as the ‘central character’ in the March 19
deer poaching
case in Bhupalpally district. Police describe
Akbar Khan of Mahadevpur
as “habituated to illegal hunting of wild animals”. Investigators are perplexed why Khan, who was ‘visible’ in Mahadevpur and surrounding areas for two days after the poaching came to light, was not immediately taken into custody.
As reported previously, Khan is a local leader of the ruling
Telangana Rashtra Samiti
, a former mandal parishad president and husband of the current ZPTC from Mahadevpur, Haseena Bano. He is believed to be close to many TRS leaders and a friend of some ruling party MLAs and MPs.
It was learnt from reliable sources that on Sunday night, when patrolling forest officials confronted a group from the poachers’ gang,
Akbar Khan was at the site within minutes. Sources said that he made a flurry of phone calls and even handed over the phone to the officials to speak to an assistant of a member of the Telangana cabinet. The top leader is learnt to have told the officials to let the poachers go.
A TRS leader told TOI that a party MLA was also trying to get in touch with Akbar Khan for the past couple of days, but was unable to reach him. Sources said that while it is possible that the local police allowed Khan to disappear, he could be found if the TRS party puts its foot down and tells him to surrender to the police.
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