Anti-Corruption Bureau officials questioned former excise minister Mopidevi Venkata Ramana in the Chanchalguda central prison here on Wednesday in connection with the liquor syndicate scam case.
According to sources, a three-member team comprising DSP-rank officers visited the jail where former excise minister M Venkata Ramana is lodged and questioned him for over two hours. Venkata Ramana was arrested and is in jail in connection with the Vanpic land allotment case.
During the enquiry, the ACB officials questioned Mopidevi about entries against his name in syndicate’s registers of bribe payments. ACB officials grilled him about allegedly receiving Rs 10 lakh bribe from liquor trader Nunna Venkataramana of Khammam.
According to ACB officials, Mopidevi Venkata Ramana did not reveal any important information to them. He claimed that he was innocent and all allegations made against him were baseless. ACB officials are likely to question him again on Thursday. The ACB has registered more than 100 cases since its crackdown on the liquor trade began in the last quarter of 2011. The crackdown unearthed the names of some prominent politicians in relation to irregularities committed in the auction process.