Farmers say middlemen duped them; fake bills, signatures uncovered
Hyderabad: At least 12 farmers from Andhra Pradesh on Monday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials in connection with the sheep purchase scam case in Telangana. The farmers appeared before the ED following summons in connection with the financial investigating agency’s investigation into the implementation of the ‘Sheep Rearing Development Scheme (SRDS) in the state during the then BRS government.
The ED recorded the statements of two farmers who came from Andhra Pradesh, who sold the sheep to the middlemen but did not get payment.
The farmers explained how Mohammed Moinuddin, the key accused in the sheep purchase scam, approached them with the assistance of middlemen for buying the sheep, and duped them by defaulting on the payment. When the farmers came to Hyderabad to meet the middlemen to demand their payments, they realised from the animal husbandry officers that the payment was already made to them.
When inquired, the farmers came to know that the former officers created fake and fabricated documents, bills and receipts using their fake signatures. Following the information, the farmers lodged a complaint with the police, which led to the ACB taking up the investigation. Months after the ACB investigation, the ED took up the case and initiated the probe into irregularities.
During the probe, it was revealed that the accused colluded with the then animal husbandry officers to divert Rs 1,000 crores of government funds on the pretext of ‘Sheep Rearing Development Scheme (SRDS) in Telangana.
