Andhra cops on hunt for filmaker Ram Gopal Varma after he evades questioning in defamation case

Andhra Pradesh police have initiated a multi-city manhunt for filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma (RGV) after he failed to show up for questioning by Ongole police in Prakasam district for the second time on Nov 25.

Varma was previously booked by the police for allegedly posting morphed and defamatory images of Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan, his son and IT minister Nara Lokesh, and chief minister and TDP chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu on social media while promoting his movie "Vyooham."

He was also given notice to appear for questioning.

The case was filed after Muttanapalli Ramalingam, the general secretary of the TDP's Maddipadu mandal, filed a complaint against Verma on Nov 10.

The AP High Court denied Varma's petition to get protection from arrest.

He was ordered by the court to cooperate with the investigation and appear for interrogation on Nov 19.

Varma, however, asked for a four-day extension, which was granted, and new notifications were sent out requesting that he come into the police station on Nov 25.

An Ongole police team went to Varma's Hyderabad home when he refused once more, but they were unable to locate him.

A team was dispatched to Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, after knowing that he was going to attend a wedding, but he could not be located. His cell phone is still switched off.

Authorities are looking for ways to find him. Police have been stationed outside his farmhouses in Shamshabad and Shadnagar while two teams search for him in Hyderabad.

At the same time, police are searching Mumbai, Chennai, and Coimbatore for him.

A member of Varma's legal team said in Hyderabad that since Digital India has made "digital policing" possible nationwide, his physical participation in the investigation is not necessary.

“Give us a virtual mode, and we will cooperate with the investigation. The new Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita permits hybrid-mode probes for minor cases. This case is neither sedition nor connected to international crime,” Varma’s legal team said.

AR Damodar, the Prakasam district SP, said the police turned down the filmmaker's plea to participate in the investigation virtually. He did not reply in spite of several notices.

The SP said, "We are forced to arrest him.