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Ex-intelligence chief of Andhra suspended for alleged scam in procuring security equipment
The senior IPS officer was asked not to leave the headquarters without permission till the final inquiry was completed against him.
The Andhra Pradesh government on Saturday night suspended a senior Indian Police Service officer of Director General of Police rank for alleged irregularities in procurement of security equipment while he was working as a state intelligence chief during the previous Telugu Desam Party (TDP) regime.
An official spokesman from the chief minister’s office said A B Venkateshwara Rao, a 1989-batch IPS officer, was placed under suspension under Rule 3 (1) of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969 in public interest with immediate effect, pending initiation of disciplinary proceedings.
The senior IPS officer was asked not to leave the headquarters without permission till the final inquiry was completed against him.
Rao could not be reached for his reaction.
According to the CMO spokesman, a departmental inquiry against Rao had revealed that he had colluded with an Israeli defence equipment manufacturing firm RT Inflatables Pvt Ltd to illegally award critical Intelligence and surveillance contract to his son Chetan Sai Krishna, who is CEO of Akasam Advanced Systems Pvt Ltd.
“This proves a direct correlation between Rao and a foreign defence manufacturing firm, thereby establishing a direct breach of ethical code of conduct and All India service rules,” the spokesman said, quoting the inquiry report.
The inquiry further revealed that Rao had wilfully disclosed intelligence protocols and procedures of police to the foreign Defence manufacturing firm, which was a direct threat to national security as intelligence protocols are standard throughout the Indian Police Force.
It said the actions of the IPS officer could critically hamper the security situation of the state. “The use of sub-standard equipment by police force may put them in a dangerous situation. It would give access to the foreign firm to state secrets and it could lead to potential monopoly over all future procurements of AP police due to access to insider information,” the inquiry report said.
It also alleged that the technical committee purposefully did not include any person from relevant technical background, leading to improper and poor technical due diligence.
“Technical specifications and contract requirements such as AMC and warranty period were downgraded on purpose to allow incompetent bidders to qualify. All other companies participating in the bid lacked technical credentials and relevant experience and are suspected as dummy participants created for the purpose of rigging the tender process,” the report said.
Rao, who was intelligence chief during the Chandrababu Naidu regime, was shifted from the post following complaints from YSR Congress party leaders during the general elections in April 2019. He was later posted as the DGP of the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
However, after YSRC chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy came to power, Rao was attached to the headquarters without being given any posting since June 2019.
