Police invoke PD Act against 2 habitual offenders in Tirumala

Tirupati: Tirupati district police wing invoked the Preventive Detention (PD) Act on two habitual offenders at Tirumala.Police said action was taken against the members of the Gogula family, who have established a pattern of repeat offences that regular laws failed to curb.

The police arrested Gogula Kotaiah alias Koti (22) and Gogula Srinivasulu alias Srinu (20).

Both the accused were initially held at the Srikalahasti sub-jail before being transferred to the central prison in Kadapa.Meanwhile, a special hunt has been launched to track down the prime accused, 25-year-old Gogula Srikanth, who is currently absconding. Officials confirmed that procedures are already underway to slap the PD Act on him as well once he is apprehended.Investigations revealed that the youth, alongside their 44-year-old family patriarch Gogula Nagesh, had been running an organised criminal network in Tirumala.According to senior police officials, the gang’s modus operandi involved running illegal hawking businesses, extorting money from vulnerable pilgrims under the guise of applying religious tilaks (namalu), selling essential goods and food items at exorbitant prices, and violently assaulting local traders who resisted their dominance.

Furthermore, the accused routinely resorted to extreme blackmail tactics to evade arrest. Whenever security forces or police personnel attempted to detain them, the family members would slash themselves with blades or intentionally smash their heads against walls. By inflicting self-injury, they sought to intimidate the on-duty staff and frame the police with false allegations of custodial violence.A review of their criminal record shows that the gang has been a persistent menace over the last two years.

Multiple cases—including an attempt to murder, extortion, theft, and obstructing public servants from discharging their duties—have been registered against them at Tirumala, Renigunta and Yerpedu police stations.Reiterating the department’s zero-tolerance policy toward such elements, Tirupati SP L Subbarayudu stated that maintaining the absolute sanctity of the world-famous hill shrine and ensuring the safety of millions of visiting pilgrims remains their highest priority.The SP emphasised that anyone attempting to take the law into their own hands, extort devotees, or intimidate on-duty security staff will face the strictest possible legal consequences, warning that the police will not hesitate to deploy heavy measures like the PD Act against unyielding, habitual offenders.