HYDERABAD: Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MLC L Ramana fell ill and was shifted to a hospital while the sleuths of the Enforcement Directorate were interrogating him on Friday on his suspected involvement in FEMA violations in tours organised by Chikoti Praveen Kumar for those who were interested in gambling at casinos abroad.
The MLC turned up at the ED office at Basheerbagh after the officials served a notice asking him to appear before them. Even as the ED sleuths were asking him questions, Ramana started feeling uncomfortable and fell ill. His face contorted in pain and he began experiencing difficulty in breathing.
His blood pressure too began fluctuating. Ramana informed the ED officials about his condition and later his personal security officers took him to Apollo Hospital in Hyderguda. After he was administered first aid, Ramana was shifted to Yashoda Hospital in Somajiguda. Ramana’s relatives said he had a stent placed in his heart recently.
The ED officials have been grilling political personalities and their relatives in connection with organising tours to casinos abroad. Several people took part in the tours and the ED is suspecting that FEMA violations may have taken place as money was taken out of the country.
After gleaning articles of evidence in their raids at the residence of Chikoti Praveen and Madhava Reddy, the ED served notices and interrogated Mahesh Yadav and Dharmender Yadav, cousins of TRS Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav and former MLA of Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh, B Gurunath Reddy.
Notice to Talasani’s PA
The ED also served a notice on Harish, Talasani’s personal assistant, to appear before it. Sources said that Harish replied to the ED officials, saying that he will appear before them next week as he is currently in Banaras. Sources said that the ED might summon five more politicians who are allegedly involved in hawala transactions in this case.