The Hyderabad police on Monday officially arrested a man who attempted to send 62 parcels with a foul-smelling liquid via India Post and addressed them to VIPs and police officers in Hyderabad at the Secunderabad post office earlier this month.
The police said that 32-year-old Venkateswar, a businessman from Secunderabad who was running a spice business, had been arrested.
The parcels were addressed to Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, his son and MLA KT Rama Rao, daughter and former MP Kavitha and several police officials in the city, including Telangana DGP Mahender Reddy. The bookings were made in the name of two Osmania University professors and a third woman, all of whom denied any connection to the parcels.
Speaking about his motive, the police said that the accused had studied MBA at Navabharathi PG college in Bolarum from 2008 to 2010, during which time he attempted to befriend a woman. As she rejected his advances, the police said that he bore a grudge against her and decided to book one of the parcels in her name.
"Additionally, the accused failed in his MBA exam and he thought that the Osmania University professors were responsible for this...In this connection, the accused hatched a plan to defame the woman as well as the professors," the police said in a press note.
The police said that on August 16, at around 4 pm, the accused engaged a passenger auto for Rs 150 and loaded 62 cartons, to reach the post office, located near Patny Circle.
As it was already late, the postal staff advised him to come in the morning on the next day. On August 17, the accused booked the registered parcels by paying required charges of Rs 7,216 and went away with the receipts.
The parcels soon started emanating a foul smell as staff began shifting them, following which they opened it, and alerted the police, who sent samples to the Forensic Science Lab (FSL) for analysis.
The police said that they took Venkateshwar into custody and handed him over the Mahankali Police Station for further investigation.