In yet another development in the alleged liquor scam of the previous YSR Congress party government in Andhra Pradesh, the special investigation team (SIT) on Tuesday arrested Govindappa Balaji, full-time director of Bharati Cements, owned by former chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Govindappa, who was named as accused no. 33 (A-33) in the case, has been absconding for the last three weeks.
He failed to turn up before the investigating officer on Sunday, despite being given summons to attend the interrogation.
On Tuesday, following a specific information, the SIT police tracked him in Mysuru and took him into custody.
He is being shifted to Vijayawada, where he will be questioned before being produced in the court for judicial remand, sources said.
Govindappa, along with Dhanunjay Reddy, who was the secretary to former chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and two other accused –officer on special duty (OSD) P Krishna Mohan Reddy, were added to the list of accused in the liquor scam last month.
All the three failed to get the anticipatory bail from the high court and Supreme Court in the case. Subsequently, they went absconding as they were apprehensive that they might be arrested after being grilled in the liquor case.
The SIT teams are actively searching for them in Hyderabad and other parts of Andhra Pradesh. They conducted raids at all suspected hideouts. Surveillance operations are underway in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, and other locations.
The police also issued lookout notices to track them and prevent them from fleeing the country for abroad.
“We are confident of arresting the two other accused as well,” sources said.
The SIT suspects that these three accused played key roles on behalf of the then government leadership in planning a policy conducive to collecting bribes and in managing the bribe collection network.
