Normally, a lookout notice, also known as a lookout circular (LOC), is issued by the government to prevent criminals from evading justice by leaving the country.
These notices are shared with all airports, sea ports, and even surface transport authorities like railways and roadways to track down criminals who are on the run.
However, a high drama unfolded when YSR Congress party general secretary and former advisor to the previous Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government, Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, claimed he was detained by police at Delhi airport on Tuesday due to an alleged lookout notice issued against him.
Despite his claim, there have been no media reports confirming any lookout notice against Sajjala, even though he was named as one of the accused in the 2021 attack on the Telugu Desam Party central office.
Sajjala stated that immigration authorities at Delhi airport detained him on suspicion that he was attempting to flee abroad to avoid arrest in connection with criminal cases pending against him in Andhra Pradesh.
However, the reality is that Sajjala was not trying to leave the country; he was, in fact, returning from abroad when the authorities confronted him.
Given that he had been out of the country, it’s unlikely that the police would issue a lookout notice; rather, they would have issued an Interpol notice if they were tracking him internationally.
Moreover, in cases where a lookout notice is issued, the first step is to impound the person’s passport, which hadn't been done in Sajjala’s case.
Sajjala said he was allowed to leave only after clarifying that he was returning from abroad, not attempting to flee. However, by that time, he had missed his connecting flight to Hyderabad.
YSRCP supporters are alleging that Sajjala missed his flight due to unnecessary harassment by the police.
"How could they issue a lookout notice when he was already abroad? This is nothing but harassment," they claim.
In reality, it seems this incident may have been exaggerated by Sajjala and his associates, potentially as a way to generate some media attention for missing the flight.