A court in Rangareddy district on Tuesday refused bail to YouTuber Chintapandu Naveen Kumar, alias Teenmaar Mallanna, who was arrested along with four others for allegedly abducting and assaulting two policemen.
The accused, who were arrested by Rachakonda police late on March 21, are currently lodged in Cherlapally Jail on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
They were booked for kidnapping, wrongful confinement, assault and attempt to murder.
According to police, two police constables who were on duty in Peerzadiguda area were kidnapped and taken to the office of Q News, run by Mallanna, where he along with others assaulted them.
Police said the police constables were carrying out vehicle checking to prevent chain snatchings when three unknown persons, armed with lathis, forcibly took them to the nearby Q News office. Though policemen tried to show their identity cards, the attackers snatched the same, took them to Q New office and produced them before Mallanna stating that police are loitering near their office.
“Mallanna then ordered his associates to bring them into his room, where the police officers were thrashed severely by snatching their cell phones. Teenmaar Mallanna started assaulting them with a stick provoking his associates by wrongfully confining them in their office,” the police said.
Later, the police parties deployed in the area rushed to the spot but the accused obstructed their efforts to rescue them.
Police arrested Q News newsreader Teenmaar Mallanna, editor Bandaru Ravinder, driver Uppala Nikhil, office boy Sirra Sudhakar and software engineer Chintha Sandeep Kumar.
A case under section 363 (kidnapping), 342 (wrongful confinement), 395 (dacoity), 332 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 307 R/W 34 IPC and section 7 (1) of Criminal Amendment Act – 1932, was registered against them.
Earlier, several police complaints were lodged against Mallanna at various police stations for his alleged derogatory comments against Chief Minister Chandrashekhar Rao, his son and IT Minister K.T.Rama Rao and daughter MLC K.Kavitha on his YouTube channel.
On March 19, unidentified persons attacked the office of Q News. They barged into the office and ransacked furniture and computers.
Teenmaar Mallanna was not present in the office at the time of attack. He alleged that goondas of ruling party BRS were behind the attack.
