ED Takes Up HCA Probe
HCA lost Rs 1 crore to buy balls that were never delivered
Hyderabad: A day after the CID police arrested five persons, including Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) president A. Jaganmohan Rao, for alleged irregularities, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is all set to take up investigation into financial irregularities at the local cricketing body.
According to sources, ED officials have approached the CID seeking details and would focus on possible money laundering and illegal cash transactions.
Source said the ED personnel had been tracking the HCA case ever since the state government had ordered an inquiry by the Vigilance and Enforcement Department, following involving Jaganmohan Rao and the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) over IPL tickets. The ED officials also wrote to the Vigilance department seeking their report on the matter.
The five accused — HCA president Arishnapally Jagan Mohan Rao, CEO Sunil Kante, HCA treasurer Chouti Jagannatha Srinivasa Rao, C Rajendra Yadav, Sri Chakra Cricket Club general secretary and Kavitha, the president of Sri Chakra Cricket Club, who were arrested by the CID — filed a petition seeking bail at local court on Friday. The court heard arguments and dismissed the bail plea.
In the remand report, the CID officials alleged that the HCA apex council, led by its president,t violated rules by purchasing 8,340 cricket balls by paying Rs 1.03 crore to the Indian Sports. There was no record of HCA ever delivering a single ball. The Rs 1.03 crore was diverted on the pretext of purchasing cricket balls during the IPL matches of 2024-25.
"The HCA president and others purchased Rs 6.85 lakh worth of electrical material for Rajiv Gandhi Cricket Stadium during 2024-25 for the 18th edition for IPL matches. During the verification, there was no purchase material, and no record was maintained. The HCA apex council violated the rules without calling a tender process," the CID said.
The IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad has spent Rs 37 lakh in 2023-24 and Rs 6 lakh in 2024-25 for plumbing works at the stadium. The HCA apex council claimed that they had spent this money and diverted the HCA funds illegally. However, the HCA failed to maintain proper records.
"Every year, HCA gets Rs 100 crore from BCCI and other sources. All these funds were diverted to personal gains by indulging in creating fake and forged documents, and the CID is to be probed more into the alleged irregularities," the CID said in the remand report.