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It is ‘number game’ for CBI in Reddy case
The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of CBI is yet to establish the role of bank officials in the case of alleged bulk exchange of demonetised currency by sand mining baron Sekar Reddy and associates.
By
migrator
migrator
Chennai
Highly placed sources told DTNext that the new currency notes seized from Sekar Reddy to the tune of Rs 34 crore were not in the continuing serial numbers, giving a tinge of credibility to the claims of Reddy that the notes were his revenue from the sand business and weakens the CBI case.
ACB had registered a case against Sekar Reddy and his associates Prem Kumar, Srinivasulu, Rathinam and Ramachandran after the Income Tax department seized Rs 34 crore worth new currency notes in their possession.
CBI had registered an FIR against these accused and also against unknown bank officials and public servants, suspecting the connivance of bank officials to exchange demonetised currency.
“We are yet to establish the connivance of bank officials in this case. We thought the currency notes would bear continuous serial numbers with which we can identify the banks from where these notes have been received. But the serial numbers are not in order,” a CBI official said.
Though it is seen as a setback in CBI inquiry, the bureau has managed to unearth huge investments and land holdings by Sekar Reddy and associates. Many of his associates, who also had very modest backgrounds, now holds several hundred acres of land and multi-million investments in various businesses.
“Most of the accused have investments running into hundreds of crores of rupees. Rathinam, for example, has more than 600 acres of land and has made about Rs180 crore investment in a company called Vedha Power,” the official added.
CBI also said that huge amounts of bribes have been paid by the gang both to politicians and bureaucrats, who helped them bag government contracts. “About 60 to 65 per cent of their turnover is being paid as bribes, still they have managed to amass so much wealth,” the CBI official said. The official said that such details, though important, would not be of use to ACB.
“Only the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption of Tamil Nadu can book a corruption case against the government officials and politicians involved in the racket. State government officials do not come under our purview,” the official added. Since the special judge for CBI recently dismissed a request of the agency to grant police custody of the accused, now it is all roads closed for CBI probe the matter further.
I-T dept takes on Rao over ‘threat’ claim
The Income Tax department on Monday challenged former Chief Secretary Rama Mohana Rao to release the footage of CCTV cameras installed in his house on the day of the raid to prove his charges of ‘threatened at gunpoint’ against the department.
Sources said that the I-T department, which first contemplated to issue an official reply to Rao’s allegations, later dismissed his speech as trivial. However, a senior I-T official said that Rao can release the CCTV footage to prove his allegation that CRPF personnel had breached into his house and threatened him at gunpoint.
“CRPF personnel came only till the car porch at Rao’s residence and we do not allow any non-department personnel inside the premises when the raids were going on,” the official added. Income Tax officials said that the CRPF cover for the raids was requested as Chief Secretary was the head of the state police force.
“We did not want our plans to be leaked. CRPF personnel were deployed only for the protection of the income tax officials,” the official added. It may be recalled that former Chief Secretary had raised several allegations against the Income Tax department at a press conference recently. He accused the department for carrying out a ‘constitutional assault’ on the office of the Chief Secretary and challenged the state government saying that he continued to be the Chief Secretary.
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