Andhra CID writes to IT dept, asks for probe into illegal land dealings in Amaravati

The CID official submitted the list of as many as 106 such alleged “illegal transactions” done during these years, along with details like purchasers of land, locations, extend of land, sale deed values and mode of payments, etc. to the Income Tax department.

The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the Andhra Pradesh police, which is probing into the alleged insider trading in the land transactions in and around Amaravati, the present state capital, has written to the Income Tax department to probe into the suspicious land transactions involving huge amounts in cash during 2018 and 2019.

On January 23, the CID registered cases against two former Telugu Desam Party ministers and over 700 others who had allegedly indulged in suspicious land transactions in Amaravati capital region during 2014 and 2015. (PTI PHOTO.)

In a letter to chief commissioner of Income Tax dated February 6, additional director general of police (CID) P V Sunil Kumar said during the course of investigations into the land registrations done in Amaravati region during 2018 and 2019, it was found that huge cash transactions above ₹2 lakh had taken place.

The CID official submitted the list of as many as 106 such alleged “illegal transactions” done during these years, along with details like purchasers of land, locations, extend of land, sale deed values and mode of payments, etc. to the Income Tax department.

“Necessary enquiries may be made to ascertain whether the persons in question had violated the provisions of the Income Tax Act. If it is found that they had violated the provisions of the act, necessary action may be initiated against them under relevant sections. The result of the enquiries may be made to known to us to take further action as per law at our end,” Kumar said in the letter.

CID superintendent of police at Mangalagiri Mary Prashanti said cases were registered against them under Section 420 (cheating), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy), besides Section 3 of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, against former ministers Prathipati Pulla Rao and P Narayana.

The CID officials, who initiated a probe based on a complaint lodged by a Dalit former that he was forced to sell his one-acre land by some influential persons, found that as many as 797 white ration card holders (those falling below poverty line) had bought lands to the extent of 761.34 acres whose market value at present runs into around ₹220 crore. Some of them did not even have PAN cards in their names.

“It shows that they did not declare their income and were avoiding payments towards income tax to the government,” Prashanti said.

Subsequently, the CID authorities brought these transactions to the notice of the Income Tax authorities seeking a probe into them.

However, Prathipati Pulla Rao later strongly denied the allegations made against him by the CID authorities. He said he was ready to face any case filed against him and challenged the police to prove that he was guilty.