Malla Reddy under lens for 6 months

IT officials came disguised as realty brokers
Minister’s son hospitalised with complaint of chest pain
Minister claims CRPF beat his son

PNS | Hyderabad

Raids by sleuths of the IT Department on TS Minister Malla Reddy’s residences continued on Wednesday and may spill over on Thursday too. The execution of the investigation is not something that happened overnight. The probe agencies reportedly had conducted a recce for six months.Based on a perfect plan, the raids started.IT officials reportedly disguised themselves as real estate brokers and then secured key information on Malla Reddy’s treasures.

They identified his relatives’ houses, kept an eye on his benamis.Sources said that the officers took the avatar of real estate traders and reached Mallareddy’s house and proposed that they would sell land that they have at a low price. In the process, they collected details of Mallareddy’s benamis, relatives’ ledgers and bank accounts.

IT teams are scrutinizing records with about 200 officers and 50 teams. Besides, dozens of CRPF policemen have been engaged. More central forces are reportedly in reserve just in case the reactionary protests cross the line. The IT officials started the search only after preparing the CPRF personnel to protect them from retaliatory possible attacks. The IT officials had made these arrangements reportedly based on information that ranks of the TRS party were prepared to protest against IT and ED searches.

The IT teams involved in the searches are working in three shifts.  After taking note of money apparently received through the backdoor from the engineering colleges, the IT teams are scrutinising the respective bank accounts.The IT officials reportedly checked on at Mallareddy’s close relatives and business partners as well as his private bank. Hundreds of bank accounts are being examined. The IT teams have expanded the search to include more areas as cash has been unearthed in the search. So far two electronic lockers have been found in the house of Mallareddy’s brother. The IT teams have seized four crores in cash from the houses of his relatives. The IT teams are still investigating the fact that Mallareddy has hidden a large amount of cash that is not shown in the accounts.

Mallareddy’s son Mahender Reddy and his close relative Praveen Reddy reportedly fell ill as the searches were going on. Both of them were rushed to a hospital.Minister Mallareddy’s allegations that his son was hospitalized due to the beating of the IT officers and the CRPF police created sensation. It is noteworthy that Mallareddy actually said that he was being targeted and that his son was trembling with fear.

Sources revealed that they had primarily identified massive irregularities in Telangana State Minister Mallareddy’s educational institutions. It was found that the Mallareddy group of educational institutions, running under a society with government subsidies, collected more than the prescribed fees. Sources in IT said that evidence had been collected that the amounts collected were taken in cash. It is claimed that the amounts collected in the form of unaccounted cash were invested in real estate business and spent on the Mallareddy-Narayana Hospital.

Nearly Rs.6 crore in cash and gold have been seized in searches conducted so far.
Along with IT officers from Hyderabad region, more than 400 IT officers and staff from Odisha and Karnataka formed 65 teams and conducted searches.Searches have ended in some places. IT sources revealed that in some places the raids could end on Wednesday night, while in other places they could continue on Thursday. It is claimed that evidence had been collected that immovable property had also been undervalued. Mallareddy’s relative and the director of Vardhamana College revealed that searches were also conducted there.

On Wednesday, IT officials, along with Mallareddy’s daughter-in-law Prithi Reddy, called his granddaughter too. As there was a locker with her name on it, she was taken to open it.
Malla Reddy on Wednesday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi government for “deploying Income Tax officers to create terror”.

“Am I doing hawala business? With K Chandrashekar Rao’s blessings, we serve people. Is it wrong? BJP and Modi government are deploying IT officers to 50 different places and houses to create terror,” Reddy said, a day after the Income Tax department conducted raids at the properties belonging to him and his son-in-law.”I am a TRS Minister. They are doing this purposefully on KCR and our Ministers,” Reddy said.