GUNTUR: The Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) on Sunday arrested a BJP leader, who unsuccessfully contested from Machilipatnam Lok Sabha constituency in 2019 elections, and three others for illegally transporting non-duty paid (NDP) liquor from Telangana to Andhra Pradesh.
SEB Superintendent V Chandrasekhar Reddy said they conducted a raid at Koppuravuru village in Pedakakani mandal and intercepted three cars in which 1,929 NDP liquor bottles were being illegally transported from Chityala in Nalgonda district of Telangana to Guntur.
BJP leader Gudivaka Ramanjaneyulu alias Anji, Masta Suresh and Ganta Harish Kumar of Guntur and Karanki Naresh, a native of Nagayalanka in Krishna district, who owns a liquor shop in Chityala, were arrested. Three cars and liquor bottles worth Rs 6 lakh were seized from them.
Naresh illegally transported NDP liquor bottles from his shop in Chityala to Guntur in a lorry bearing registration No. TN 04 AV 7598. Later, the other accused were shifting the NDP liquor stock to Koppuravuru in three cars when the SEB and Prohibition and Excise officials intercepted the vehicles. The lorry will also be seized after conducting an inquiry into the illegal transportation of NDP liquor stocks from Telangana to AP, the SEB Superintendent said.
According to sources, Ramanjaneyulu is running two bars in Guntur city in the name of his benamis. On previous occasions, he had escaped when the Excise officials caught him for transporting NDP liquor stock by threatening to get ACB cases foisted against them, sources added.
Reacting swiftly, BJP State president Somu Veerraju suspended Ramanjaneyulu from the party. He made it clear that the BJP leadership will not tolerate the involvement of party activists in anti-social activities.