HYDERABAD: Tainted Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) chief K. Purushotham Reddy is in for double trouble as the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered a case of criminal misconduct against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
A case has been booked against Reddy for amassing illegal wealth in the form of properties worth over '25 crore market value.
Sleuths of the ACB received a complaint from the vice-president, Business Operations of Prestige Estate projects, located at Banjara Hills, alleging that Purushotham Reddy – ( now suspended ) HMDA planning chief had telephoned him in August 2016, asking for a flat of 3,031 square feet plinth area for '1,500 per sq feet.
The company was selling the flats at Rs 5,850 per square feet and '20 per square feet extra for each floor after third level. It is alleged that the complainant was constrained to comply with the same as non-compliance would affect their future permissions and agreed to sell the flat at '2,091 per square feet.
“For this, Purushotham Reddy sent his brother-in-law Srinivas Reddy and entered into an agreement for acquiring the flat from Prestige projects – Kondapur (on the 13th floor of the 3rd tower ). As per the standard price of sale on that date of Prestige projects, the flat would have cost '2.02 crores but Prestige Group agreed to sell the flat at a revenue loss of '1.13 crore under compelling circumstances,” the complainant said.
The investigation revealed that Purushotham Reddy abused his official position and obtained pecuniary advantage for himself and his brother –in-law. In this transaction, B. Srinivas Reddy who is the tainted official’s benamidar had aided the commission of the offence.
