Nexus runs deep, 2 former TRS legislators under radar

HYDERABAD: Former legislator Jagga Reddy is not the first politician to be arrested on charges of human trafficking. There were several other elected representatives who have been slapped with human trafficking cases in 2007.
Two former TRS rebel MLAs — Kasipeta Lingaiah (Nerella) and Soyam Bapu Rao (Boath) — were booked on human trafficking charges and sent to jail. There were allegations against former Union minister and then TRS leader Ale Narendra, but police did not book any case against him due to lack of evidence.Lingaiah and Bapu Rao won on TRS ticket and later switched loyalties to Congress with seven other rebel MLAs. While the former MLAs spent a few months in jail, five others, including brokers Rashid and Raju Pitti, were arrested.
In August last year, the TRS government gave permission to police to probe Rao’s role. Lingaiah was accused of obtaining a passport for one Sangeeta Ben Patel of Gujarat by introducing her to passport authorities as his wife Tara. A similar case was also booked against Bapu Rao. Lingaiah was also accused of obtaining passports for an unidentified woman and three children, all hailing from Gujarat, by presenting them as his family members.
In fact, the TRS suspended then MP from Medak and former minister Narendra for his alleged involvement in the trafficking case. He had passed away in 2014.