HYDERABAD: Anti Corruption Bureau officials, who questioned suspended HMDA (planning) director K Purushotham Reddy on Friday, had a tough time making him spill the beans in connection with the illegal assets case. Reddy was granted custody for six days by a local court.A team of officials led by deputy director of ACB questioned Reddy from 11 am to 6 pm at the ACB’s headquarters in Banjara Hills. Sources told Express that Purushotham Reddy took his own time to think before giving answers. Responding to many questions, he merely said ‘forgot’ and ‘no idea’, but alleged the agency had collected false information. However, ACB officials appeared content with whatever information they could ferret out from him.
“We have seized documents, gold ornaments, bank accounts, details of benamis. We verified all details of illegal activities of business in which Yadava Reddy, Nishanth Reddy and Srinivas Reddy invested with the money taken from accused officer Purushotham Reddy,’’ sources said.
A number of questions were posed to Purushotham on his call data and conversations with his family members and alleged benami persons. He replied that he was a high-profile officer in HMDA and many people approached him on official work every day. The agency officials spent more than two hours collecting information from him on his alleged illegal assets located in different places. He is learnt to have said that he had purchased the properties years ago when prices were low.
The ACB officials, armed with the information given by Purushotham Reddy, will cross-check with his brother-in-law Srinivas Reddy regarding purchase of properties, real estate ventures and projects taken up in the suburbs of Hyderabad. Around 6 pm, the first day of quizzing concluded and officials shifted to him back to the prison. Meanwhile, a team of officials filed a petition before the court seeking police custody of Srinivas Reddy for questioning in connection with the case. Srinivas Reddy is still lodged in prison.