YSRCP MP Midhun Reddy was arrested by Andhra Pradesh Police on Saturday in alleged liquor scam of a whopping ₹3,200 crore during party's previous regime in the state led by Jagan Reddy, reported news agency PTI.
Reddy, who represents Andhra Pradesh's Rajampet constituency in the parliament, was questioned for several hours earlier in the day by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the matter before he was arrested at around 7.30 pm in Vijayawada.
He had arrived in the city earlier today to attend the probe and his questioning.
Andhra's home minister Vangalapudi Anitha confirmed the arrest. "Yes (he has been arrested). The process (to produce him before a court) is going on," she told PTI over phone.
Reddy's arrest comes a day after the Supreme Court refused to grant him protection from arrest on Friday. He had a look out notice in his name issued by the SIT and the state's Crime investigation Department (CID) for his alleged involvement in the scam. He had requested the court some time to surrender but his request was not entertained.
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{{/usCountry}}Before Reddy, other accused have also been arrested by the police. These include Dhanunjay Reddy, Krishna Mohan Reddy and Balaji Govindappa, the PTI report said.
What is the case
The ₹3,200 crore liquor case involved alleged manipulation of excise policy to benefit certain liquor companies on payment of kickbacks.
The probe into this case began after a man named Y Venkateswar Rao Srinivas complained about it. He alleged irregularities in the functioning of the state-owned beverages company - Andhra Pradesh State Beverages Corporation Limited (APSBCL) - during Jagan Reddy's government between October 2019 and March 2024. He alleged that purchase orders for new and spurious liquor brands were made, and some of these were made by private distilleries linked to YSRCP leaders. He also claimed that bribes were taken to avoid buying from well-known liquor brands.