It was on April 14, Thursday night that Gangam Santhosh called up his elder brother Sridhar and said that he was exhausted by the harassment he was facing and could not take it anymore. Little did Sridhar know that it would be the last conversation with his brother and mother.
Ramayampet, a small town in Telangana’s Medak district located less than 100 km from Hyderabad, remains tense following the suicide by Santhosh, a realtor by profession, and his mother Padma. According to their family, Santhosh was being harassed and facing extortion from Municipal Council Chairman Palle Jithender Goud, Agriculture Market Committee Chairman Saraf Yadagiri, their henchmen, and Police Inspector Nagarjuna Goud who was posted in the town until recently, for the last 18 months.
Sridhar told TNM that the harassment started over a year ago. Santhosh, who dealt in real estate and finance, had acquaintances with all the well-known local names, including Jithender Goud and Saraf Yadagiri. The two men, both belonging to the ruling TRS, targeted Santhosh believing that he was behind an anonymous Facebook page named ‘Ramayampet Dongalu’ (Ramayampet Thieves), which sought to expose their ‘extortions’ and ‘illegal land encroachments’. They lodged a complaint with the local police accusing Santhosh of maligning their image.
This is when events became even murkier, according to Sridhar, as Inspector Nagarjuna Goud allegedly joined hands with the TRS leaders to harass Santhosh. During the “investigation”, Nagarjuna Goud allegedly copied some personal data from Santhosh’s phone, which was used to harass him from then on and ultimately led him to take his own life. People close to Jithender Goud and Saraf Yadagiri reportedly informed Santosh’s family that they had incriminating information on him.
On April 16, Santhosh and his mother killed themselves in a lodge in Kamareddy town. Before taking the extreme step, Santhosh and his mother left a suicide note and posted a selfie video naming the seven people who they alleged made their life hell.
Santhosh can be heard saying, “These seven people are the reason behind our deaths. I have lost everything that I earned and suffered losses in business because of them. Nagarjuna Goud, Police Inspector of Ramayampet, stole personal data from my phone and gave it to Jithender and other people, using which they’ve harassed me.” In the note, Santhosh claimed that he has attached all the details of Jithender Goud’s alleged corrupt activities in the Municipal Council, including diverting some temple funds for his personal use. Santhosh also submitted these details to a DySP rank officer, the note added.
Santhosh’s video, which went viral on social media, drew massive support from political parties and from the people of the town, who took to the streets and staged a dharna at Jithender Goud’s residence with the dead bodies.
Santhosh speaking in a selfie video.
Police have registered a case in which Jithender Goud and Saraf Yadagiri are the prime accused, while Prithvi Raj, Thota Kiran, K Krishna Goud and Swaraj have also been named. According to Kamareddy district police who are investigating the case, no arrests have been made so far.
Located along National Highway 44, Ramayampet has been witnessing a real estate boom in the last few years, and Santhosh’s death has brought into focus the undercurrents involving politics and real estate. Sources suggest that Jithender Goud and Saraf Yadagiri used to seek a share from profitable businesses in the town in abuse of their powers. It is alleged that their men would summon anyone who started a new business or commercial complex in the town to seek money or partnership.
A poster released by Santhosh before taking his life.
Sridhar said that Jithender Goud and Saraf Yadagiri forced Santhosh to give them partnerships in his real estate business and sought a cut from his profits. “But it is when they got his personal data that the harassment and bullying increased. My brother used to be emotionally very strong, but in this case I understood it reached a level where he could not cope.”
Sridhar further alleged that Inspector Nagarjuna Goud, who is now posted in Thungathurthi of Suryapet, had favoured Jithender Goud as they belong to a “caste and financial nexus” while claiming that no action was taken against the Inspector for breaching his brother’s privacy.
He also alleged, “From what I was aware, they either halted land registrations until my brother gave them the money they demanded or asked for plots by threatening him with his personal data. They directed the concerned authorities to stop land registrations citing technical reasons.”
The main accused have gone off the radar ever since the news of the two deaths shook the town.
Jaipal Reddy, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Dy SP) Banswada, who is the Investigation Officer in the case, told TNM that the investigation has started. He said, “We visited the residence of the deceased to collect evidence and record witness statements. Further action will be taken accordingly.”
When asked about the delay in the arrest of the accused, the officer said, “We need to wait till we have taken the statements from all the concerned persons.”
When asked about the possibility of probing other similar allegations against the accused, the DySP said that he is currently looking to investigate the specific case he has been assigned to.
When TNM contacted Rohini Priyadarshini, Medak district Superintendent of Police (SP), about Santhosh’s complaint against Inspector Nagarjuna Goud over “transferring his personal data” to TRS leaders using which they harassed him, she said that an enquiry has been initiated.