Bengaluru: A TDP MP’s son and four of his supporters were arrested by the Chikkaballapura police after they allegedly vandalised a toll plaza and assaulted the toll staff at Bagepalli toll plaza on Anantapur-Bengaluru highway on Monday morning.

The arrested Ambarish is the son of Telugu Desam Party MP from Hindupur, Kristappa Nimmalam. The police have also arrested seven people working at the plaza for the incident.

Sources said that Ambarish and his supporters were coming in two cars towards Bengaluru on Monday morning. “MPs are given toll-exemption passes for two vehicles. At the Bagepalli toll plaza, which is just 2 km away from the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border, the staff let one vehicle pass, but brought down the barricade as the other vehicle was passing. The car’s bumper was damaged and this led to an altercation between Ambarish’s supporters and the toll plaza staff. Within a few minutes, around 15-20 supporters of Ambarish were at the plaza. The MP’s son and four of his supporters broke the windowpanes of the toll booth and smashed a computer. The entire incident was recorded by the CCTV cameras at the toll plaza. Some employees of the plaza were also allegedly assaulted and intimidated,” an official said.

Ambarish
Ambarish

The Bagepalli police, who were alerted about the incident, rushed to the spot and immediately detained those who vandalised the booth. Based on the complaint filed by the toll plaza staff, five people, including the TDP MP’s son, were arrested. Seven employees of the toll plaza too were arrested based on a counter-complaint filed by the supporters of MP’s son. Chikkaballapura SP Karthik Reddy told this newspaper that 12 people, including the MP’s son, were arrested in connection with the incident.