HYDERABAD: Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials on Wednesday carried out searches at eight locations in connection with the alleged Rs 700 crore sheep distribution scam, first flagged by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
The ED questioned G Kalyan Kumar, who was then Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to former animal husbandry minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav, and is named as Accused No. 10 (A-10) in the ACB’s case.
Eight ED teams comprising around 50 officials, with Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) security, searched the residences and offices of key individuals, including Kalyan Kumar and Telangana State Sheep and Goat Development Cooperative Federation (TSSGDCF) CEO Sabavath Ramchander. Several documents were seized, and large sums of unaccounted cash were reportedly found during the raids.
Later in the day, Kalyan Kumar was summoned to the ED office, where his statement was recorded. Sources said he was questioned regarding financial allocations made under the sheep distribution scheme during the BRS regime.
In parallel probe, ACB records statements
The ED has obtained bank transaction records and other financial data related to the accused. Officials are also said to be examining beneficiary account details to trace the flow of funds.
The ACB, which is conducting a parallel investigation, has recorded statements from both victims and accused, and has gathered evidence since registering the case in December 2023, shortly after the Congress came to power in the state.
The sheep distribution scheme was launched by the BRS regime in 2017, offering 20 sheep and one ram per unit on a 75% subsidy to groups of shepherds. Following allegations of large-scale financial irregularities, the ACB began its probe, which subsequently led the ED to register an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in June 2024 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
