VIJAYAWADA: Days after the Income Tax Department issued notices to TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (APCID) has reportedly launched an investigation to uncover a connection between the alleged I-T scam and the AP State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) case.
According to sources, APCID has issued notices to Manoj Vasudevan Pardhasani, referred to as MVP in the I-T notice issued to the former chief minister, and Yogesh Gupta, whose name figured in the alleged APSSDC scam.
The Income Tax Department had reportedly issued a show-cause notice, dated August 4, to Naidu seeking an explanation on why Rs 118 crore, which he allegedly received as kickbacks from construction companies, should not be treated as undisclosed income.
The CID reportedly aims to uncover any potential association between the individuals involved in the cases to shed light on the extent of the alleged corruption.
In November 2019, the I-T Department investigated Manoj Vasudev Pardasanny, a representative of Shapoorji Pallonji, the infrastructure firm that secured tenders for projects such as the Secretariat, High Court, Assembly, and TIDCO houses.
The State government is also reportedly investigating the allegations that Andhra Pradesh Township and Infrastructure Development Corporation might have inflated the construction cost of the housing project and entertained proposals from specific companies.
Sources said Naidu’s personal assistant Srinivas is suspected of having received the money in the cases related to the I-T notice and alleged APSSDC scam. Additionally, the CID sleuths are likely to go to Dubai to probe into allegations that funds had reached Naidu there.
Yogesh Gupta's role under scanner
The APSSDC had inked a pact with Siemens Industry Software India Ltd and Design Tech Systems to set up six skill development centres with `3,300 crore. The then TDP government released `371 crore as 10% of project cost even before the project had started & without inviting tenders, violating the AP Civil Works Code and AP Financial Code. The CID had said Yogesh Gupta played a key role in re-routing the `371 crore in five phases over a period of 3 months