HYDERABAD: In a major development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), on Thursday, filed a petition in Nampally court for recording the statement of Hyderabad hotelier Kore Nanda Kumar, who is in judicial custody, in connection to alleged money laundering in the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLAs poaching case.
Nanda Kumar is an accused in the attempt to poach four MLAs in a farmhouse, situated in Moinabad, in Hyderabad on October 26. The ED wanted to record his statement under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, which empowers the ‘authority’ i.e., officers of the Enforcement Directorate, to summon any person to give evidence or produce records.
The ED, in its custody petition, said it had prima facie evidence to investigate Nanda Kumar for possible money laundering under Section 3 of the Act.Sources said the ED suspects that the Rs 100 crore offered to the BRS MLA Pilot Rohith Reddy may have been laundered money. The ED also grilled Rohith Reddy, who is the main complainant in Poachgate.
Sources said the agency also focused on transactions between Nanda Kumar, Abhishek Avala and Rohith Reddy, who were friends earlier. The agency began the investigation into the case with Rohith Reddy. The agency asked him for details about his financial transactions.
Later, the ED issued notice to Abhishek, who is a director on the board of 7hills Manikchand Production Pvt Ltd. He appeared before the ED on Thursday with his PAN and Aadhaar cards, passport, list of companies, bank account details of self and family members, and movable and immovable assets details since 2015.
Abhishek, while entering the ED’s office, told the media that he was summoned in the Manikchand case and that he is in no way involved in the poaching case. He, however, said that some financial transactions took place between him and Rithesh Reddy, who is Pilot Rohith Reddy’s brother. He also informed that he lodged a complaint against Nanda Kumar at Banjara Hills police station earlier.The ED also stated that Nanda Kumar is an additional director in Vay India Tobacco Private Limited, 7Hills Manikchand Products Private Limited, and Vay India Corporation Pvt Ltd.
Nanda Kumar was the director in W3 Hospitality Service Pvt Ltd, while Abhishek is an additional director in the company along with director Kalvakuntla Tejeshwar Rao. Both Abhishek and Nandu Kumar are directors of Seven Hills Marketers and Manufacturers Pvt Ltd.Sources stated that the ED was suspecting that several transactions may have taken place between Nanda Kumar and Abhishek. The agency is also focusing on transactions between Rohith Reddy’s company with his brother Rithesh Reddy’s.
Sources said Abhishek informed the ED about his complaint against Nanda Kumar in Banjara Hills police station about how he was cheated by him. Later in the day, Rohith Reddy met Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at Pragathi Bhavan.Sources said the CM along with several senior advocates and the leaders discussed ED’s movements and its investigation into the alleged money laundering in the poaching case.
Ramachandra Bharati held
Banjara Hills police on Thursday arrested Ramchandra Bharati, who is one of the accused in Poachgate, in connection to the fake passport case. Police had filed a complaint in this regard after the IO found that he had two passports with different names