Viveka Murder Case: ED’s Probe Deepens

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday continued questioning Yerra Gangi Reddy, the prime accused in the murder of former Andhra Pradesh minister Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy, in connection with the alleged financial transactions linked to the case.

Gangi Reddy appeared before the ED officials here for a second consecutive day.

Another accused, Uma Shankar Reddy, was also being questioned by the Central agency.

The questioning of the accused is part of the ED’s probe into the alleged money laundering and financial transactions connected with the murder conspiracy.

The ED last week questioned another accused, Sunil Yadav, and recorded his statement. The questioning of Gangi Reddy and Umashankar Reddy is reported to be based on this statement.

The Central agency began a money laundering probe on the basis of the case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the charge sheets filed by it.

It was in August last year that the ED registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR).

The agency is probing the financial transactions before the murder as the CBI suspects that Rs 40 crore ‘supari’ (contract) was offered to the accused to kill Vivekananda Reddy.

The ED is also looking into the alleged transfer of Rs 4 crore and the payment of Rs .1 crore as advance to to Shaik Dastagiri, an accused-turned-approver.

Last month, the ED conducted searches at multiple locations, including the premises linked to YSR Congress Party MP Y.S. Avinash Reddy, nephew of Vivekananda Reddy and an accused in the case.

The searches were conducted at the premises of Kadapa MP Avinash Reddy, his father Y.S. Bhaskar Reddy and other accused in the murder case.

Vivekananda Reddy, brother of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR), and uncle of YSRCP President and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, was murdered at his residence in Pulivendula on March 15, 2019, weeks before the elections.

The 68-year-old former state minister and former MP was alone at his house when unidentified persons barged in and killed him.

The CBI took over the investigation into the case in 2020 at the direction of the Andhra Pradesh High Court while hearing a petition by Vivekananda Reddy's daughter, Sunitha Reddy, who raised suspicion about some relatives.

Expediting the probe into the case, the CBI in 2023 arrested Bhaskar Reddy and his follower, Uday Kumar Reddy.

It filed the first charge sheet in the case in 2021 and supplementary charge sheets in 2022 and 2023.