Hyderabad: Ten days after Attapur police registered a criminal case against a trainee IPS for allegedly sexually harassing his co-trainee, the accused was taken into custody by Hyderabad police on Tuesday.This development took place few hours after he gave a statement before media claiming that he was not absconding, as accused by investigators. “The accused is taken into custody and after investigating him, we will decide on his arrest on Wednesday,’’ Hyderabad police said.Earlier, the accused said he would cooperate with the investigation and claimed that he had travelled to his native village, Ullapalem, in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh, to visit his ailing grandmother.“I will meet the investigating officer and prove my innocence. Since my grandmother fell ill, I came to Ullapalem to meet her. Meanwhile, the police visited my two temporary addresses in Hyderabad to serve me a notice. It is incorrect to say that I am absconding,” he said.Refusing to comment further on the allegations, the trainee officer maintained that the accusations made by his female co-trainee were false.Earlier, a woman trainee IPS officer accused him of sexual misconduct, threatening her with a knife, violating her privacy, and other offences while they were undergoing training together at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA).Following a preliminary inquiry by an internal committee of the academy into the trainee’s complaint, the accused was asked to leave the academy till the pending inquiry. The complainant also approached the Attapur police, who registered a criminal case against him.An officer from the Hyderabad police’s women safety wing (WSW) is supervising the investigation. Police have already recorded the statements of the complainant and several officials of the police academy.
