SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Hyderabad: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Sunday, August 23, arrested former Andhra Pradesh minister Karumuri Nageswara Rao in connection with its money-laundering probe into alleged manipulation of the Andhra Pradesh State Beverages Corporation Ltd (APSBCL) liquor transportation tender and diversion of proceeds through sub-contracting.
ED sources said Rao was arrested from Kondapur in Hyderabad, where he was allegedly staying while evading the agency’s proceedings. His anticipatory bail pleas had earlier been rejected by the Andhra Pradesh High Court and the Supreme Court.
The case, registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), stems from an Andhra Pradesh CID FIR based on a vigilance report into alleged irregularities in liquor transportation contracts during the previous government.
The ED has alleged that Rao and his son, Karumuri Sunil Kumar, received around Rs 15 crore through cash and banking transactions from persons linked to the alleged liquor transportation syndicate. Rao allegedly used his influence to facilitate sub-contracts, while Sunil Kumar handled operational aspects through Sree Sudarsana Constructions.
Sunil Kumar was arrested by the ED in June. The agency has alleged that he acted as a facilitator, used political contacts to secure sub-contracts and handled funds generated through the transport arrangement.
The probe centres on a centralised statewide tender introduced by APSBCL in 2020 for transporting liquor from depots to government retail outlets. The contract was awarded to Sigma Supply Chain Solutions Pvt Ltd, which the ED alleges acted as a nominal prime contractor, while the actual transportation was undertaken by entities linked to the alleged syndicate.
The agency has estimated the alleged proceeds of crime at Rs 195.3 crore from a transportation project that generated about Rs 349 crore between October 2021 and March 2023.
In August, the ED provisionally attached assets worth about Rs 37.7 crore, including land, quarry rights, vehicles, watches and bank deposits linked to the case. The attachment is subject to adjudication under the PMLA.
SOURCE : SIASAT
