In a major twist to the Andhra Pradesh multi-crore liquor scam, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) general secretary and close aide of former CM Jagan Mohan Reddy, Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy, has been arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). He was intercepted late Tuesday night at Kempe Gowda International Airport in Bengaluru while allegedly attempting to flee abroad.
Alerted by immigration authorities, Andhra Pradesh police swiftly moved in. Bhaskar Reddy and his aide Venkatesh Naidu were apprehended and transported to Vijayawada, where they will be produced before the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court.
According to SIT reports submitted to the court, Bhaskar Reddy is now the 38th accused in the case, which has resulted in 39 arrests so far. The scam allegedly occurred during the YSRCP government’s tenure, though Reddy denies any involvement, calling the accusations politically motivated.
Adding further controversy, Reddy has accused SIT officials of torturing his longtime gunman, Head Constable N. Madan Reddy, to extract a false confession. Madan Reddy has reportedly filed complaints with CM Chandrababu Naidu and the DGP, alleging physical assault and coercion by SIT officers.
Bhaskar Reddy’s son and YSRCP leader, Chevireddy Mohith Reddy, also spoke out strongly, calling the arrest a politically driven witch-hunt by the TDP-led coalition government. He alleged that former aides of Bhaskar Reddy, including Giri and Madan Reddy, were summoned, physically tortured, and pressured to fabricate testimony.
Mohith Reddy further revealed that Madan Reddy is currently hospitalized due to injuries from alleged police brutality. A petition has been filed in the High Court seeking legal protection for Madan Reddy and other associates.
As the political temperature rises, all eyes are on the unfolding investigation and the state’s handling of the high-profile corruption case.
