Daijiworld Media Network- Vijayawada

Vijayawada, Jul 30: In a major breakthrough in the Andhra Pradesh liquor scam, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) recovered a staggering Rs 11 crore in cash, hidden in 12 cardboard boxes at a guesthouse on the outskirts of Hyderabad. The recovery was made from Sulochana Farm Guesthouse in Kacharam, Shamshabad mandal, falling under Rangareddy district.

According to sources, the cash was found alongside a significant quantity of liquor bottles during a raid conducted as part of the ongoing probe into the multi-crore scam that allegedly occurred during the 2019–2024 tenure of the YSR Congress Party government.

The raid followed revelations made by Varun Purshottam, listed as Accused No. 40, who reportedly confessed to hiding the cash on instructions from Kesireddy Rajashekar Reddy, the prime accused in the case and a former IT Adviser to then Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

The SIT is also probing the involvement of Chanikya and Vinay, other accused, in helping conceal the money. Varun is believed to have told investigators that the money and liquor were moved and hidden under Kesireddy and Chanikya’s directions.

The CID initially launched the investigation based on a complaint filed by an Excise Department official. A formal case was registered under multiple sections of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. Later, the government handed over the probe to a high-level SIT, led by NTR District Commissioner of Police S.V. Rajashekhar Babu.

SIT’s findings so far have reportedly unearthed large-scale corruption and fund diversion, with nearly Rs 3,500 crore siphoned off over five years through kickbacks from distilleries. According to investigators, around Rs 50 to Rs 60 crore was collected monthly during the YSRCP rule and routed through a complex network of shell companies and aides.

Prominent Arrests and Allegations

So far, 12 people have been arrested, including YSRCP MP P.V. Midhun Reddy. Other key accused named include:

• K. Dhanunjaya Reddy, then Secretary in the CMO

• Krishna Mohan Reddy, Officer on Special Duty (OSD)

• Balaji Govindappa, Director of Bharati Cements

• Former MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy

• Dilip Kumar, personal assistant to Kesireddy

• Sajjala Sridhar Reddy, and others

A preliminary charge sheet filed on July 19 has created political ripples, notably naming former CM Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy as a beneficiary of kickbacks. However, he has not been listed as an accused at this stage.

The SIT continues to conduct raids and collect evidence as part of its intensified investigation. Sources indicate that more arrests may follow, with the cash seizure from Hyderabad being one of the biggest so far in the case.

The scam has turned into one of Andhra’s most high-profile corruption probes, as the newly formed TDP-led NDA government seeks to bring to book those involved in alleged financial misconduct during the previous regime.