YSRCP MP’s video on social media not original, says police

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Police on Wednesday said that the nude video call allegedly showing YSRCP MP Gorantla Madhav and currently circulating on social media is not original, but whether it is morphed or not can be established only after they get the original video.

Anantapur Superintendent of Police K. Fakirappa told reporters that the video was uploaded from a mobile number registered in the UK and was first shared in I-TDP whatsApp group.

Since the video has been shared multiple times across social media platforms, it has become difficult for the police to ascertain if it was real or morphed, he said.

The SP said a person sent the recorded video to a second person and when the second person was watching it on his mobile, a third person recorded it and that video was circulated.

The video in question shows a cattle shed and some people can be heard chatting.

“Since the video has been forwarded and re-posted many times, we are not able to ascertain its veracity. Since the video is not original, we can’t reach a conclusion if it was edited or morphed ,” he said.

The SP said unless the person who first posted the video is identified and the video is traced, the clip currently being circulated may be an edited or morphed one.

He said if the victim comes forward to lodge a complaint it would be easy to find out if the video was real or morphed. “Let the victim come and give a complaint, we will seize the mobile and investigate,” the SP said when asked why the police has not seized the MP’s mobile to verify if the video was real or morphed

The SP said the police registered a case on a complaint by MP Madhav’s follower K. Venkateshwar Rao on August 4 and took up the investigation. It was found that the video was uploaded from a mobile number registered in the UK on the night of August 3. He said the police were trying to identify the person and gather his details through Vodafone.

After SP’s press conference, the Lok Sabha member from Hindupur constituency reiterated that the video was circulated to malign him and cause political harm.

The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) MP said he would file a defamation case against those who created the video.

YSRCP General Secretary and government advisor Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy had said that if it comes out that it’s not a morphed video, strong action will be taken against the MP.

The opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Tuesday urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to take action against the YSRCP MP.

TDP MPs K. Ram Mohan Naidu and K. Ravinda Kumar alleged that the YSRCP is trying to shield its MP. They slammed the YSRCP leadership for taking no action against the MP though the video had gone viral.