Hyderabad: CBI tapped phone calls to Moin Qureshi to nail Sana Satish Babu

Hyderabad: Musaddilal Bhagwat Swaroop Jewellers owner Sukesh Gupta, said to be a close friend of Sana Satish Babu who was arrested on Saturray, will figure prominently in the investigation by the ED into the murky affairs surrounding the Hyderabad-based businessman. Satish Babu was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering probe against controversial meat exporter Moin Qureshi.

Satish Babu had allegedly paid Rs 2 crore to Qureshi to secure the bail of Sukesh Gupta who had been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for allegedly defrauding the Metals and Minerals Trading Corporation (MMTC) to the tune of Rs 130 crore through fraudulent transactions in December 2013. The CBI had obtained recordings of phone conversations between Satish Babu and Qureshi where they are heard discussing the bail of Sukesh Gupta.

Based on the disclosures made by Satish Babu, there is a likelihood of the ED summoning Gupta for questioning. Interestingly, Gupta has not been seen in Hyderabad for the last four months and CBI sources say that he is staying in the United Kingdom with his family after obtaining permission from the special CBI court. The CBI expects him to return by July 31, as per the court orders.

Sources said that Satish Babu, who was a witness in the ED case against Qureshi but has now been made an accused, had earlier told the agency that the meat exporter had assured bail for Gupta if he paid Rs 1 crore to the then CBI director Ranjit Sinha. Satish Babu himself admitted that he met Qureshi to help Gupta. The remaining Rs 1 crore was to be pocketed by Qureshi, it was alleged.

For this purpose, Gupta's brother and Satish Babu are alleged to have met Qureshi at his office in Defence Colony, New Delhi, on January 24, 2014, and handed over the case documents to him. In the audio conversations with the CBI, Qureshi was quoted as saying that he had given the documents to the boss (Ranjit Sinha) and that Sinha had assured that Gupta will get bail as he had directed his men not to oppose the petition.

Satish Babu had also alleged that Gupta's brother had given Rs 85 lakh to Qureshi but the bail was not granted to Gupta for the next three months. Later, it was granted on merits and that is why he did not pay Qureshi again.

“Gupta has been known to Satish Babu for a long time. When it was clear that Gupta will end up behind the bars in connection with the MMTC fraud, he is said to have approached Satish Babu who in turn sought Qureshi’s help,” sources said adding.

Till 2004, Satish Babu used to be an employee with the electricity department in undivided Andhra Pradesh. Hailing from Kakinada in East Godavari district, he quit his job and moved to Hyderabad and tried his luck in real estate.

Sometime in 2008, he founded Gold Coast Properties Private Limited and Matrix Natural Resources Private Limited and was also the director in Rasama Estates which he started in 2016 and the East Godavari Breweries Private Limited in 2015.

After successful real estate ventures in Kakinada and Hyderabad, Satish Babu, who had tremendous clout by then, was made president of the East Godavari Cricket Association.