ACB Arrests Bheem Reddy, Denies Favouritism
During simultaneous searches, ACB seized about Rs 3.6 lakh in cash from the officer’s residence and another Rs 40 lakh from the residence of an alleged benamidar.
Hyderabad:The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday arrested DSP Sankireddy Bheem Reddy, following last week’s searches, which unearthed assets worth about Rs 200 crore by market value and denied that it has shown preferential treatment to him.
On Saturday, the ACB conducted simultaneous searches at 16 locations of alleged benamidars of Bheem Reddy, family members, associates and friends in Telangana and Karnataka. However, as the accused official’s blood pressure shot up, the ACB allowed his family members to admit him to a private hospital based on his previous health records.
“As Bheem Reddy was admitted to a private hospital, we couldn’t record his statement. After recording his statement and other official formalities, we will produce him before the ACB Principal SPE judge for judicial remand,” an ACB official disclosed.
On the allegations levelled by D.R. Tabita, the wife of Ambedkar Erugu, a power official, who was caught in a disproportionate assets case, on Sunday claimed that the ACB had dealt with her husband differently and is dealing with Bheem Reddy differently.
The ACB official said their investigation is the same in all cases that include DA or traps. “People have faith that justice will be done. Our officers are dedicated to their work. Our intention is clear: to eradicate corruption,” a senior ACB officer clarified.
She claimed that Bheem Reddy was issued a notice under Section 35 (3) of the BNSS on Saturday and was neither arrested nor remanded to judicial custody. But she said her husband Erugu was arrested and subjected to 36 days of judicial custody despite cooperating with investigators voluntarily.
During the searches on Bheem Reddy’s benamidars, ACB officials recovered documents relating to several immovable properties, including a villa at Vessella Meadows in Ibrahim Bagh, a G+2 residential building with a penthouse and a flat in Telecom Nagar, another flat in Gachibowli, two flats in Tellapur, open plots in Nagole, Patancheru and Pragati Resorts, commercial properties in Manikonda, agricultural land in Sangareddy, Vikarabad and Karnataka, besides an investment of Rs 75 lakh in a rock sand mining company.
During simultaneous searches, ACB seized about Rs 3.6 lakh in cash from the officer’s residence and another Rs 40 lakh from the residence of an alleged benamidar.
The ACB team also seized two kg of gold ornaments, 20 kg of silver ornaments and bank balances of nearly Rs 21 lakh have also been seized during the searches.
