HYDERABAD: Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials on Monday failed to extract any information from Chikoti Praveen and Madhava Reddy, who were summoned for questioning regarding the violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
Apart from Praveen and Madhava, the ED has also served notices to three others — Babu Lal, Ravi Shankar and Sampath. It’s suspected that the railway contractor, whose residence was recently raided, is also involved in the case, but the officials refused to divulge any details.
After the raids, the officials collected evidence such as bank account details and hefty transactions. Sources said the accused were interrogated about the WhatsApp conversations and the groups that they are a part of. The officials also tried to identify the accounts sending large amounts of money to the accused.
Praveen gained prominence after the ED raids related to casino dealings in the city and alleged ties with high-profile politicians and film stars. Officials also tried to get them to reveal the names of prominent personalities but failed to attain much success. However, a source revealed that he has connections with the bigwigs from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Ministers of both the States are suspected to help Praveen keep the dealings of the gambling syndicate under wraps, but it’s unknown whether they help the accused with his other businesses such as sand and food & beverage.
ED sleuths also reportedly questioned Praveen regarding his dealings with a casino in Goa. Since the duo has been accused of using punters for money laundering, the officials asked them about the details of payment and other such events.
Officials will hope to continue the questioning on Tuesday and serve notices to others who names might crop up during the interrogation process.
Collusion with Ministers?
Praveen gained prominence after the ED raids related to casino dealings in the city and alleged ties with high-profile politicians and film stars. Officials also tried to get them to reveal the names of prominent personalities but failed to attain much success. However, a source revealed that he has connections with the bigwigs from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Ministers of both the States are suspected to help Praveen keep the dealings of the gambling syndicate under wraps, but it’s unknown whether they help the accused with his other businesses such as sand and food & beverage