AP Liquor Scam Probe: SIT Refutes Allegations Made By Head Constable

Vijayawada:The state CID’s Special Investigation Team probing the AP liquor scam case has refuted the allegations by armed reserve police head constable Madhan Reddy that he was intimidated to implicate former MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy in the case.

The head constable, who worked as a gunman (personal security officer) to Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy for 10 years alleged that SIT officials forced him give a signed statement against the former MLA and he was even beaten up.

The SIT dismissed such allegations as baseless. In a statement on Tuesday, it said that a case related to the liquor scam was booked at the CID office at Mangalagiri and they took up the inquiry. “We questioned several witnesses and suspects and arrested the main accused Kasireddy Rajasekhar Reddy and others.”

It said, “In the course of the inquiry, it was learnt that kickbacks in the liquor scam had reached the then Chandragiri MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy through the main accused Kasireddy Rajasekhar Reddy. The money was distributed to voters during the election period.”

“In this context, we summoned ex-MLA Chevireddy’s gunman, who was working as head constable in Tirupati district. In the course of questioning, the head constable did not cooperate with us and refused to part with certain information. Instead, he threatened the officials that he would die after naming them in a suicide note,” the SIT statement said.

SIT officials said that so far they had questioned nearly 200 persons after serving them notices and calling them to the office. “None of them except the head constable made such allegations against us.”

The head constable wrote a letter to the DGP, complaining against the intimidation and even moved the high court.

Refuting the charges, SIT officials alleged that the head constable in collusion with some others was involved in a conspiracy to derail the ongoing inquiry into the liquor scam.

The SIT said that another man identified as Balaji Kumar Yadav associated with ex-MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy also filed a habeas corpus petition in the high court alleging that he was illegally confined by the SIT. “This too was a lie,” claimed the investigating officials.