Congress MLA surrenders in criminal case, gets bail

Former Andhra Pradesh Minister and Congress MLA P Shankar Rao, booked for "threatening and abusing" a police officer probing a land case, surrendered before state CID here and was later granted bail, police said today.
Rao had earlier moved a local court for anticipatory bail. The court asked the ruling party legislator to surrender before the police (CID) and furnish sureties to get bail.
Accordingly, Rao surrendered before the CID. He was briefly arrested and enlarged on bail after he furnished three sureties of Rs 1 lakh each, an official release said today.
Rao, who surrendered his passport to the police, was asked to appear before the police every Thursday, it said.

Police in February this year filed a criminal case against Rao for allegedly "threatening and abusing" Neredmet Station House Officer P Srinivas.
The MLA from Secunderabad Cantonment constituency allegedly threatened Srinivas when he, along with other policemen, went to serve notice on the legislator, who is accused of forging land documents related to a project at Neredmet here for "illegal" gains.

Rao's daughter Sushmita had also lodged a complaint with the Musheerabad police, alleging policemen from Neredmet manhandled the senior MLA when they went to pick him up for questioning in connection with the land case on January 31.
In November 2011, a criminal case was filed against the MLA, his brother P Dayanand and three others for allegedly duping the owners of housing plots in Green Field Colony.

Police wanted to question Rao in connection with the case after the AP High Court lifted a stay on his arrest last year and went to his residence at Musheerabad on January 31.