Hyderabad: A Telugu starlet – Neetu Agarwal – was arrested by the Andhra Pradesh police on Saturday evening for her alleged involvement in a red sanders smuggling racket.
Agarwal has acted in a nondescript movie “Prema Prayanam”, produced by Mastan Vali – an alleged lemon merchant-turned-red sanders smuggler who invested the ill-gotten money in Tollywood. Vali, hailing from Kurnool district, is also a leader of the YSRCP. He was arrested by the police on April 13, a few days after at least 20 alleged red sanders smugglers were killed in two gunfights with the police in Chittoor.
The police were in search of Agarwal, said to be a live-in partner of Vali, for being an accomplice in the racket. The police froze her bank accounts, which they said were used to transfer the illicit money.
The Kurnool Police, led by superintendent of police Ake Ravikrishna, presented Agarwal before the media on Sunday.
“She is arrested for her role in the transfer of money and assistance in the smuggling racket,” Ravikrishna said. Agarwal was evading arrest for the past few days.
Vali, already under custody, is said to be an accomplice of international red sanders smuggler Gangi Reddy, who was recently arrested in Mauritius by the Interpol after a notice was served by the Andhra police.
DGP JV Ramudu had earlier told HT that efforts are on to bring him to the state. Another kingpin, Soundara Rajan, was arrested by the Andhra police from West Bengal on April 19 and is remanded in a Chittoor jail.
