AP liquor scam: Special Investigation Team grills Raj Kasireddy

The SIT officials questioned him on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday about the involvement of various individuals in the multi-crore scam case

Vijayawada: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged liquor scam in Andhra Pradesh questioned Raj Kasireddy, the main suspect in the case.

The SIT officials questioned him on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday about the involvement of various individuals in the multi-crore scam case. He was grilled on the basis of statements given by former Rajya Sabha member and YSRCP leader V Vijaya Sai Reddy and Rajampet MP P V Midhun Reddy before the SIT.

---

Kasireddy was arrested by the SIT officials at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad on Monday and was brought here on Monday night. He was questioned by the SIT officials during the night hours and again on Tuesday morning. The SIT officials have informed Kasireddy’s parents about the arrest. He will be produced in a court later in the day.

Kasireddy was taken into custody soon after he landed in Hyderabad from Goa. The SIT served him four notices, but he had skipped questioning. He had approached the High Court seeking anticipatory bail. After the court refused to give immediate relief and adjourned the hearing by a week, he released an audio message saying he would appear before the SIT on Tuesday.

However, hours later, the SIT arrested him at Hyderabad Airport and brought him to Vijayawada. Kasireddy is suspected to have played a key role in the alleged illegal collection of nearly Rs 3,000 crore over five years.

Kasireddy, who served as IT advisor to the YSRCP government, denied his involvement in the case. Last week, the SIT conducted searches in the house and other properties of Kasireddy in Hyderabad. Kasireddy’s father, Upender Reddy, had also appeared before the SIT for two days.

The TDP-led NDA government constituted the SIT in November last year to investigate the allegations of irregularities and corruption in Andhra Pradesh State Beverages Corporation Limited (APSBCL) under the YSRCP tenure.

The TDP leaders alleged that some YSRCP leaders had links with the liquor manufacturers, floated many local brands, conducted cash payments and made illegal money. The SIT reportedly identified the involvement of some political leaders, private persons and others in the scam.

The investigating officers reportedly traced the money trail of kickbacks involving a sitting Lok Sabha member and a former Rajya Sabha member from YSRCP. Former MP Vijayasai Reddy, who resigned from YSRCP and also quit as MP in January, appeared before the SIT as a witness on April 18. The former Rajya Sabha member termed Kasireddy as the mastermind and said he could reveal more facts about the scandal.

Meanwhile, Vijayasai Reddy, in a social media post on Tuesday, claimed that his role in the scam is that of a whistleblower. He said that thieves who have been caught or yet to be caught were dragging his name. Claiming that he has not taken even a rupee, the former MP remarked that thieves have only half-stripped and that he would cooperate in completely stripping them.