It seems that Macherla MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy has been arrested in the EVM vandalism case by the AP Police after the Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered for his immediate arrest, following a video showing him destroying an EVM went viral.
According to sources he was reported arrested near Sangareddy in Telangana while he was hiding at a company guest house near Isnapur. Pinnelli brothers are currently in the custody of AP Police.
After asking the Patancheru police about the location of Isnapur, the AP police took the help of the Telangana police till Isnapur and arrested Pinnelli. Earlier in the morning he escaped them when the police were about to arrest him near Kandi on the Mumbai-Hyderabad national highway.
ECI has considered Pinnella breaking EVMs and VVPATs as a serious offense and expressed serious anger over his behaviour. CEO Mukesh Kumar Meenak has been directed to give a report regarding this incident by 5 pm.
Suspecting that he is trying to flee abroad the police has issued Lookout notices alerting all air ports in the country. Cases have been registered against Pinnelli under 10 sections of the IPC, RP and PDPP Acts. Cases have been registered under sections 143, 147, 448, 427, 353, 452, 120B under IPC, another case has been registered under PD PP Act and cases have been registered under sections 131 and 135 of RP Act. Police registered a case against Pinnelli on 20th of this month.
CEO Meena said that the incident of destruction of EVM by Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy was a shameful act. He said that the EC has found it a failure in conducting free elections. He said that the evidence was handed over to the police the day after the incident. He said that while a total number of 10 EVMs were broken in AP on the polling day, 7 incidents took place in Macherla constituency alone.
