SIT arrests one more in AP liquor scam case, seizes ₹11 crore in cash from Hyd farmhouse

The accused is believed to be a close associate of Raj Kesireddy, former information technology advisor to the previous Jagan Mohan Reddy government.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Andhra Pradesh police on Wednesday arrested another accused in connection with the ₹3,500 crore liquor scam that allegedly took place during the previous YSR Congress party regime, people familiar with the development said.

Representational image.

The accused has been identified as Purushottam Varun Kumar.

“Based on the information given by him, the authorities confiscated ₹11 crore in cash from a farmhouse on the outskirts of Hyderabad,” an official associated with the chief minister’s office said.

Acting on a specific information, the SIT authorities took Purushottam Varun Kumar, who was named as accused no. 40 (A-40) in the case, at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad in Hyderabad.

Kumar is believed to be a close associate of Raj Kesireddy, former information technology advisor to the previous Jagan Mohan Reddy government, who has been named accused no. 1 (A-1) in the liquor scam.

“There is already a non-bailable arrest warrant pending against Kumar,” another official of the Andhra Pradesh police said on condition of anonymity.

“The SIT has also launched an investigation into the role of Booneti Chanakya (A-8) in connection with the cash seizure. The authorities are suspecting that the money was stored in the boxes at the farmhouse on the instructions of Raj Kesireddy, disguising them as office files,” the official said.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the Sulochana Farms belonged to one Vijayender Reddy, registered in his mother Sulochana’s name. The guest house complex also includes a sports grounds and hostel facilities belonging to a private engineering college, he said, adding further investigation is going on.