A political row erupted in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday after a Special Investigation Team (SIT) recovered a video of the liquor scam case key accused counting bundles of cash worth Rs 35 crore.
The accused is Venkatesh Naidu, who is believed to be a close associate of former Chandragiri MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy. He was recently arrested and is currently in judicial custody. Authorities earlier said Naidu had played a significant role in moving and concealing illicit funds obtained from the scam.
SIT officials said the video found on Naidu's phone provides "technically irrefutable" proof of illicit financial activities. The recovered cash is said to be distinct from the Rs 11 crore the SIT earlier seized from a farmhouse in Shamshabad.
According to sources, SIT used advanced digital forensics to retrieve the video, which was deleted and encrypted. The footage reportedly shows Naidu at a farmhouse in Hyderabad with stacks of money, which investigators believe are proceeds of the illegal liquor trade and other operations.
Sources told NDTV that a cash recovery of Rs 8 crore from a vehicle going from Hyderabad to Vijayawada on May 8, 2024, just prior to the elections in Andhra Pradesh, is also linked to the liquor scam. The truck driver reportedly mentioned the name of Giri Babu, who is said to have been a personal secretary to the YSRCP leader.
Investigators suspect that the personal security officers of the leader and also official vehicles of his son, who reportedly worked with the Tirupati Urban Development Authority, were used to transport cash paid as kickbacks in Hyderabad by distillery firms.
The Andhra Pradesh liquor scam, estimated to be worth over Rs. 3,500 crore, has been a central issue in the state's politics, with the SIT and Enforcement Directorate (ED) both conducting probes. The chargesheets filed in the case have detailed an intricate web of money laundering, offshore investments, and alleged policy manipulation.
The SIT has been investigating several political leaders and officials who allegedly manipulated liquor policies to collect kickbacks from distilleries. Chargesheets filed in the case have named numerous individuals and companies, with allegations of a monthly collection of Rs 60-70 crore.
Several political parties have called for a more thorough and swift investigation.
