The ACB has so far listed 10 persons as accused in the case, with eight persons now behind bars. The officials estimated that the scam might go into hundreds of crores of rupees.
Anti-Corruption Bureau. (acb.telangana.gov.in)
In a major breakthrough, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) sleuths have arrested the Telangana Live Stock Development Agency Chief Executive Officer Sabavath Ramchandar and G Kalyan, who was the officer on special duty for former animal husbandry minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav, in what has come to be known as a scam involving hundreds of crores of rupees, which took place when the BRS was in power.
Earlier Ramachander was managing director of the Telangana State sheep and Goat Development Cooperative Federation. When the officials went to his office to arrest him he initially resisted. But the officials reportedly overpowered him.
Though the ACB had already arrested six persons in the case, what has come as a surprise to the officials is the size of the scam in the distribution of sheep to the beneficiaries in the state.
The ACB has so far listed 10 persons as accused in the case, with eight persons now behind bars.
When the ACB took up the investigation about six months ago, the size of the scam appeared to be ₹2.1 crore. However, as the investigation continued, the ACB sleuths reportedly found that it had wider ramifications.
The officials estimated that the scam might go into hundreds of crores of rupees.
In an official release, the ACB said that Live Stock Agency CEO Ramachander and OSD to former Animal Husbandry Minister G Kalyan violated all the instructions issued for procurement of sheep and deliberately involved private persons and brokers in the procurement process.
With a malafide intention, both had given instructions to all district joint directors and other officials of Animal Husbandry department to facilitate misappropriation of government money by private persons.
The two officials and private persons illegally obtained undue advantage and caused wrongful loss to the government exchequer by performing their official duties “improperly and dishonestly” to obtain undue advantage and caused huge revenue loss to the government.
The ACB, after arresting the two officers produced them before the First Additional Special Judge for ACB cases in Hyderabad. They were sent to judicial remand for 14 days.
The ACB initially began investigating the case after receiving a complaint about six months ago soon after the advent of the Congress government that there was a misappropriation of ₹2.1 crore.
The modus operandi of those involved in the scam was to take the beneficiaries of Telangana to Andhra Pradesh and purchase sheep for them. Later the officials would divert the money paid by the government for the benefit of beneficiaries to benami accounts.
After the BRS came to power in in 2015, it launched sheep distribution scheme and provided sheep to the beneficiaries of value of ₹4,000 crore.
(Edited by Shauqueen Mizaj)
Jul 26, 2024
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