HYDERABAD: Popular Telugu television anchor Pradeep Machiraju, who was among the 143 persons named in the sensational gang-rape case of Hyderabad, finally opened up on the latest controversy and condemned all the allegations linking him to the case. A woman has recently approached the Hyderabad police alleging that she was gang-raped by 143 persons and submitted the list of the accused, which also features the renowned anchor’s name.

In the light of the complaint, the Hyderabad police were also believed to have charged Pradeep under relevant sections. Ever since the sensational case came to the fore, Pradeep has been at the receiving end of a massive tirade on social media. After remaining silent, the anchor finally decided to clear the air and came up with a video which he posted on his social media account on Thursday evening.

While strongly refuting the allegations being leveled against him, he expressed the anguish that he is being deliberately targeted by some people who, he claimed, were dragging him into a controversy that he has absolutely nothing to do with. The anchor said that he and his family are being pained and traumatized by the unusual turn of events.

“The accusations being floated in social media against me are deeply hurting and painful. I’m being implicated in a sensitive issue to willfully target me. I’m being trolled heavily in social media without trying to ascertain why my name has been taken by the accuser. I’m being targeted for the sake of bulking up views in media. I will lodge a complaint against those who are carrying out the smear campaign against me. My family is being subjected to mental agony and trauma besides psychological abuse. The victim deserves justice but that does not mean I should be targeted without making any effort to get to the bottom of the truth.

“At a time when I’m making a gradual progress in my career, I’m being dragged into needless controversies, which has become a weird habit for some people. All my friends and fans are worried over the frivolous accusations being levelled against me. I have nothing to do with this controversy and I insist the truth must come out,” was how Pradeep reacted in his video.

Meanwhile, the Hyderabad police have expedited the investigation into the case and are gearing up to question all the accused based on the FIR and the victim’s statement. As part of it, the police are expected to issue summons to the 143 accused named by the victims very soon. The police have already prepared an elaborate 42-page FIR. The victim, in her statement, claimed that the accused include personal assistants of several political leaders, television actors, policemen and SFI leaders.