Tension prevailed at the famous Nizam’s King Kothi palace in Hyderabad on Tuesday, when more than hundreds of goons tried to barge in and forcefully occupy the site.
The goons were reportedly sent by Sukesh Gupta, a jeweler who is accused in several bank and other fraud cases. Nearly 140 henchmen of Gupta, carrying swords and lathis tried to forcibly enter and take possession of the palace. They even tried to break open the gate using an earthmover.
According to reports, the Narayanguda police landed on the spot and has taken about 40 people into custody, while others escaped. Police have registered a case of trespassing against people who tried to enter the palace and began an investigation, Venkat Reddy, Assistant commissioner of police told reporters.
King Kothi palace is where Hyderabad’s last Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan lived and died (in 1967). It was run by the Nazri Bagh Palace Trust and was sold off formally to Neeharika Infrastructure Pvt Ltd on March 28.
The palace is a 2.5 lakh square feet property that was the residence seventh Nizam of Hyderabad Osman Ali Khan, who ruled from there and continued to stay there even after the state’s accession to India on September 17, 1948.
(With inputs)
