Venkat Yadav -- the 28-year-old rowdy sheeter accused in the 2015 murder of Pravalika, a trans woman from Hyderabad -- was arrested under the Prevention Detention Act on Thursday. The transgender community had in the past complained to the police about the accused extorting money from them and had demanded his arrest. Under the Act, a person can be detained in jail for one year without getting bail.
Venkat whose real name is Kurma Venkatesh is from Kakalapally village of Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh. He has been accused in 10 cases since 2014 and there are several non-bailable warrants against him in city police stations, reported The Times of India.
He was arrested by the Banjara Hills police based on a complaint made by Yasmeen, a trans woman in September 2018. Venkat along with his associate Sai Pahelwan had attacked the trans woman for non-payment of monthly mamool. In the FIR filed at the Banjara police station, the survivors claim that the accused took 50 grams of gold ornaments and cash worth Rs 2 lakh from her home.
Several members from the transgender community had protested before the Banjara Hills police station demanding action against the history sheeter in October last year. The same month, a Twitter campaign with the hashtag #Arrestvenkat was also launched to spur police action against the accused.
The accused has been on the run since the FIR was filed, but police were able to nab him on Thursday.
Venkat’s crimes against the transgender community in Hyderabad date back to 2014 when a team of assailants, led by Venkat, sexually assaulted and robbed two transgender persons. They hit them with stones and robbed them of their daily wages and mobile phones. Since then several cases have been booked against the Venkat.
However, police took an active interest in Venkat only after the murder of Pravalika. In January 2015, Pravalika was allegedly murdered by Venkat’s associates after a fight broke out when the victim was being robbed of her daily earnings. Police had then taken him into custody and had earlier detained him under the Prevention Detention Act, but he was released on bail after a few months.
The DCP West Zone, AR Srinivas told Deccan Chronicle that Venkat was in a relationship with a trans woman who staged a protest before his home in Anantapur after he called off their relationship. This protest by the trans woman resulted in Venkat’s wife leaving him. Police say he has held a grudge against the transgender community ever since.