A magistrate's court in Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, on Thursday, 6 August remanded YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader and former MLA Shaik Mohammed Mustafa to 14 days of judicial custody in connection with an alleged kidnapping case. Mustafa, who represented the Guntur East constituency, was subsequently shifted to Nellore Sub-Jail.

Arrest and Transit

Mustafa was arrested in Gujarat two days prior by a police team from Nuzvid. The police produced him before a court in Vadodara, obtained a transit warrant, and transported him back to Nuzvid before presenting him to the magistrate early Thursday morning. His son, Mubashir alias Basheer, who was arrested at Hyderabad airport on Tuesday, had already been remanded to judicial custody on Wednesday.

What Allegedly Happened

The case stems from a commercial dispute over a tobacco procurement transaction. Mustafa, who operates a tobacco godown in Guntur, had been procuring tobacco from trader K. Suryachandram of Eluru district. According to the complaint, Suryachandram had stopped supplying tobacco to Mustafa following a price drop.

On 27 July, Suryachandram's son Abhi, driver Balaraju, and G. Durga Rao were allegedly intercepted at Nuzvid while en route to Guntur to sell tobacco to another company. Basheer and his aides allegedly kidnapped the three men and seized their tobacco-laden vehicle, demanding payment of dues.

Suryachandram claimed that when his son alerted him, he contacted Mustafa by phone. The former MLA allegedly threatened that Suryachandram would not see his son again unless he arrived at the Guntur godown with money. The trader subsequently lodged a police complaint. The three victims were later released by their alleged captors.

Charges Filed

A case was registered against Mustafa and his son for kidnapping, ransom, abduction, criminal intimidation, and physical assault. Charges were additionally invoked under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, as the complainant belongs to a Scheduled Caste community. While Mustafa and his son were absconding after the incident, their aides reportedly surrendered before police.

YSRCP Calls It Political Vendetta

The YSRCP has strongly condemned the arrests, terming them a case of political vendetta by the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led coalition government. YSRCP president and former Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that Mustafa and his son had been falsely implicated, claiming they had already handed over the person concerned to the police. The party's pushback signals that the case is likely to acquire a sharper political dimension as proceedings continue.

What Comes Next

With both Mustafa and his son now in judicial custody, investigators are expected to pursue further questioning through remand applications. The case will be closely watched given Mustafa's political profile and the YSRCP's public stance that the prosecution is motivated by political rivalry rather than evidence.