The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Andhra Pradesh probing the multi-crore Employees State Insurance (ESI) scandal in the state is getting ready to file charge-sheet against former minister and senior TDP leader Kinjarapu Atchan Naidu and other accused.
ACB joint director Ravi Kumar on Wednesday announced that all key evidences pertaining to the case had been collected and they would be submitted to the court along with the charge sheet.
“In all 12 persons were arrested in the case and we are on the lookout for another 13 people, including those from Telangana,” he said.
The ACB official said the previous government had issued orders for the purchase of medicines and equipment worth Rs 230 crore but the then ESI authorities had placed orders for Rs 650 crore.
“The calls made from the call centre turned out to be fake and most of them were from the call list in Telangana,” he said.
He said so far two FIRs had been registered in the case with regard to purchase of medicines, surgical equipment, lab and medical equipment and furniture.
“We have noticed that medicines were bought at a higher rate than the prescribed rate. Medicines worth Rs 106 crore were brought on non-contract basis,” the official said.
Ravi Kumar said former minister Atchan Naidu had lobbied for awarding the contract to Pramod Reddy and Neeraj Reddy in the name of Tele Services.
One of the employees’ son established two medical shops Amaravati Medicals and Tirumala Medicals only to supply medicines to the ESI. The shops were closed after 2019, the ACB official said.
