In a significant development in the alleged illegal liquor case, the ACB court in Vijayawada on Saturday asked the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Andhra police probing the case to preserve Rs 11 crore seized from a farmhouse in Hyderabad three days ago.
The directions came in response to a memo filed by Raj Kasireddy, which raised concerns that the cash was being deposited without proper videography.
Taking the memo into consideration, the ACB court instructed the SIT and Machavaram branch of SBI not to mix the Rs 11 crore with any other funds. The court directed that the seized amount be kept separately.
Furthermore, the SIT has been asked to deposit the money only after preparing a detailed panchanama that includes the serial numbers of all the currency notes. If the money has already been deposited, the court ordered the bank not to mix it with other notes.
These directives aim to ensure transparency and accountability in the handling of the seized cash. The SIT has also been asked to submit the detailed panchanama to the court without delay.
Meanwhile, YSRPC legal cell president Manohar Reddy accused the SIT of a conspiracy to falsely implicate Raj Kesireddy in the cash seizure issue.
“There is a clear conspiracy behind the seizure of Rs.11 crore,” he said.
He said the SIT’s claim that Rs 11 crore was recovered from Sulochana Farmhouse was suspicious with no proper panchnama (official documentation) being conducted, raising questions about the investigation’s integrity.
“Why was no panchnama carried out in the presence of independent witnesses, as mandated by law?” Manohar asked.
Further, he said on April 17, 2025, Vijayender Reddy, who owned the farmhouse, was summoned as a witness in the investigation, yet the SIT failed to record critical details.
He questioned whether Vijayender Reddy was coerced into producing the cash or if the government itself staged the seizure to create a political drama.
“The SIT knows this case will not hold in court, yet they are resorting to unlawful tactics to detain Kesireddy temporarily,” Reddy asserted.
