Drugs from Africa: Khat leaf in Hyderabad.

Khat leafy contraband a drug used as alternative for Amphetamine and Cocaine by the drug abusers was caught in the city. City Task Force police on Saturday arrested a Somalian national
and seized 11 kgs of Khat leaves smuggled into Hyderabad from Adis Ababa the Ethiopian capital.
The arrested accused identified as Ahmed Khadar Yousuf Elmi 38 a native of Mogadishu in Somalia was residing at Nizam Colony at Humayunagar.
Cops found that he was selling the Khat to leaf to city drug abusers and foreign nationals. The accused was smuggling in Khat leaf as vegetables in Air cargo from East African Countries to city via Mumbai.
Khat leaf is a stimulant and produces hallucinogenic affect on chewing.
Task Force Deputy Commissioner of Police Mr V B Kamalasan Reddy said that the Somalian came to India on tourist visa in 1995. He discontinued his studies in the faculty of Bachelor of commerce in
King Koti Pragati College. He was arrested in 2008 October by Humayunagar police for overstay and sent to jail. On bail he procured refugee certificate. Due to financial crisis he started procuring Khat leaf
and selling the contraband at the rate of Rs 1000 per bundle.

Mr Kamalasan Reddy said ,"Not only foreign nationals but also Hyderabadis got addicted to Khat leaves. The Khat leaves contain psycho active ingredients known as cathinone and cathine. Both these

chemicals come under Narcotic Drugs and Pyschotropic substances act purview,".

Khat is a flowering shrub, it has stimulant effect similar to that of cocaine. Khat leaves are grown in Somalia, Ethiopia and Yemen countries. Khat is taken by chewing the leaves and dried Khat leaves,

can we mixed in tea decoction. The user experiences immediate increase in blood pressure and heart beat rate. It has effect of mild depression, extreme thrust, insomnia etc. It also damages the nervous, respiratory, circulatory and digestive system. It is a illegal drug falls

under Schedule-I drug under the Controlled Substances Act.

West Zone Task Force inspector of Police Mr J Narsaiah said Khat leaf is grown by farmers in Somalia.

The sale proceeds of Khat leaf is the key sources for the terror funding in Somalia.

Real Rakthacharitra: Paritala private army ROC chief Pothula Suresh arrest drama

Chaman and Nagoor Hussain still wanted
U Sudhakar Reddy
After 'arresting' the slain TD leader Paritala Ravi's aide and head of his private army Pothula Suresh the Anantapur police
and State intelligence sleuths have now began 'hunt' for absconding members of the out lawed group.
Pothula Suresh the founder of the Left Wing Extremist splinter group Reorganising Committee(ROC) was arrested by Special Operations Group of Anantapur police at Surat in Gujarat.
Police say that there seems to be no end for the 'Raktha Charitra' and the accused are still involved in extortions in the State particularly in Hyderabad.
ROC was assisting Paritala Ravi to carry out killings of his opposite faction, political party and community police said.
Pothula Suresh went into hiding after Congress came into power six years ago. After the murder of Paritala Ravi the members of ROC left the State with fear of being killed by rivals.
Suresh, reportedly made efforts to compromise with Paritala Ravi's rival Mr Maddelachervu Suri and Tadipatri legislator and former
minister Mr J.C. Diwakar Reddy four months ago sources said. Mr Suresh, a native of Mahabubnagar district, was accused in 7 murder cases including television set bomb blast case at Suri's residence and another 6 attempt murder cases.
While studying his post graduation in Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Suresh was attracted to left wing extremism and joined in people's war along with Paritala Ravi. Later broke away and turned into the head of Paritala Ravi's 'Private Army' the ROC.
 Ananthapur Superintendent of Police Mr Manish Kumar Sinha said ,"two other key members of ROC Dudekula Chaman and Nagoor
 Hussain are still absconding. We are talking to him. We have to take Suresh into police custody and question him regarding their
whereabouts. We have to still verify whether the group is active now.
But they are not committing any offences or indulged in violence in Anantapur,"
Paritala's arch rival Gangula Suryanarayana Reddy alias Suri is now in Bengaluru as his bail conditions say that he should not come to Anantapur.
An official of State intelligence said ,"due to fear of being killed by Maddalacheruvu Suri the suspect Suresh was hiding in Surat,"
 Police traced the nearby cell phone tower where Suresh used to speak over his mobile phone in Gujarat. Later police followed his wife Vavilala Sunitha while she was returning to Gujarat from Anantapur a month ago. They confirmed his exact location and swooped down on Suresh yesterday.
In contrary, rumours are airing in the district that Suresh voluntarily surrendered to police as his financial sources were
exhausted and his cadre was shattered following Ravi's murder in 2005.
Anantapur SP Mr M K Sinha dismissed the rumours of surrender and said that he was arrested on specific information.
 Pothula Suresh was upset over Paritala Ravi widow Paritala Sunitha's apathetic attitude over supporting his family and cadre.
Meanwhile, Vavilala Sunitha alleged that Congress government planned to eliminate her husband while speaking to media men in
Anantapur on Saturday. She admitted that Suresh made some efforts to step out from underground.
Meanwhile district jail superintendent Mr Ravi Prasad on Saturday filed a petition requesting the district judge to put Suresh in another jail as Paritala Ravi's murder case accused were already in jail.
Pothula Suresh allegedly masterminded the killing of S Chenna Reddy who was a Congress MLA from Dhamavaram town of the district.

Hyderabad: Pepper Guns to control the rioters

Udumula Sudhakar Reddy
As part of massive preparations for the December D-day on Telangana issue city police are procuring Pepper Guns that
make rioters and protesters sneeze when shot at.
City police are also recruiting ex service men on large scale as the constable recruitment was delayed due to free zone issue. Expecting trouble after the Srikrishna report comes out on the Telangana issue, the police are procuring weapons and recruiting men to control violent mobs.
Around 1200 ex army men will be appointed as police support officers in the city to deal with the rioting. City police already have 700 PSOs.
Sources in the city police said that the cops are trying to procured several non lethal weapons like Pepper Guns.
A senior police official said ,"Whatever is the report of Sri Krishna Committee our duty is to maintain law and order. Protection of people and properties will be the top priority. As part of the State police strategy to deal with the protesters in a harmless way we are procuring non lethal weapons,"
Pepper Guns are non- lethal weapon that fire fireballs which has a chemical Capsaicin(the burning component of chillies) strong irritant that cause teary eyes, runny nose, sneezing, wheezing and even difficult in breathing.
Cops are testing various other riot gear equipment as the preparatory measure. Police are also procuring 12 bore pump action guns. The non lethal weapons are also available for other districts including in Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema.
The non-lethal weapons like 12-bore pump action guns may cause injuries but will not be fatal.

APFSL ballistic experts say Azad was shot from distance

By U Sudhakar Reddy

 AP Forensic Science Laboratory ballistic experts submitted a report stating that Maoist former spokesperson Azad alias

Cherukuri Raj Kumar was shot dead from a distance and not close range. The report came in handy for the State cops who are facing the allegations of staged encounter. APFSL director Mr O N Murthy said ,"we have given the report. The ballistic expert report says that the bullet was fired from distance and not point blank,"

 Earlier Osmania Medical College Forensic Medicine department team has given similar report based on the examination done on the body. Azad was shot dead in the forest area in Adilabad. A bullet pierced through the upper left side of Azad's chest, making an oval shaped 1-cm hole. The bullet exited from the rear left side of the back, leaving behind a roughly 3-cm exit wound. A senior police official said ,"both the reports proved that Azad was shot from a distance and it is not a stage managed encounter. People who are demanding judicial inquiry into the killing has to rethink after seeing these reports,"  The findings of ballistic experts tallied with that of forensic doctors.

Several rights organisations, Swami Agnivesh and Union Railway Minister Ms Mamata Benerjee have been demanding judicial probe into Azad's killing alleging that it is staged managed encounter.

Kalpavriksha removed in highway extension

By U Sudhakar Reddy

Despite repeated requests from environmentalists, the state forest department has failed to protect and translocate the Kalpavriskha trees, a rare and endangered species, situated along the highways. Thus from 20 such trees in the state, there are now only 13.

They have, instead been removed during highway extension and while laying the Outer Ring Road in Hyderabad. At least seven trees have been removed on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada national highway and the ORR.

Kalpavriksha — also known as known as Baobab — live from 100 to thousands of years in the state and are mostly distributed in Krishna, Nalgonda and Ranga Reddy districts.

Mr A. Ravi Kiran, a former research fellow with NRSA said, “We have requested the AP Biodiversity board of the forest department several times asking them to translocate the trees. But there was no response and ultimately they were removed without concern. There were only 20 such trees in the state and now we have lost seven.”

These trees were removed at Chillakallu, Sher Mohammed Pet in Krishna district and Hayatnagar in Ranga Reddy.

Baobab is scientifically known as Adansonia digitata. In India it is known as Kalpavriksha as it provides food, water, shelter and has medicinal values. One of the trees, aged 700-year old, situated near Golconda Fort, has a 36-square-feet hollow and can accommodate at least 12 persons.