Andhra liquor case: Accused files surrender petition

An accused in the Andhra Pradesh liquor scam has approached the ACB Court in Vijayawada, seeking permission to surrender before the court.

Saif Ahmed, who had allegedly left the country after the liquor scam case was registered, filed a petition through his lawyers on Thursday, seeking permission to surrender.

Accused number 10 in the case, Saif is one of the key aides of Kesireddy Rajasekhar Reddy alias Raj Kesireddy, the main accused in the case.

Saif and other aides of Raj Kesireddy had allegedly acted as handlers and logistics coordinators for the bribes collected from distilleries and supply companies.

SIT, which has so far arrested 17 accused in the case, is likely to take Saif into custody for questioning.

In a related case, the Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed the anticipatory bail petition of former minister Karumuri Venkata Nageswara Rao.

A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana upheld the order passed by the Telangana High Court on the anticipatory bail petition in connection with the AP liquor transportation scam.

The counsel appearing for Rao claimed that he had no connection with the scam and cited his health condition while seeking anticipatory bail.

The Telangana High Court had on July 3 dismissed Rao’s anticipatory bail petition.

The liquor transportation case, being investigated under a separate Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), relates to the alleged manipulation of the Andhra Pradesh State Beverages Corporation (APSBCL) liquor transportation tender process between 2020 and 2024

Last week, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged multi-crore liquor transport scam took custody of three key accused - former APSBCL Managing Director Donthireddy Vasudeva Reddy, Raj Kesireddy and Karumuri Sunil.

The three were brought to Vijayawada from Chanchalguda Central Jail in Hyderabad for further interrogation. The court sent all three to judicial custody for two weeks.