K Purushotham Reddy – who was recently suspended as Director (Planning) of Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority, after being accused in a disproportionate assets case – is under the scanner once again for spending a whopping Rs 40 lakh on just liquor for his daughter’s wedding sangeet.
Authorities stumbled on visuals of the lavish sangeet hosted by Purushotham, where the bride wore an enormous diamond necklace and earrings, apart from gold jewellery and diamonds on her wrists too, reported Mouli Mareedu from The New Indian Express.
The invite to the sangeet, which was held in November 2016, looked like a film ticket and read, “Reddy Theatre. Admission: Free, Minimum Tax: Four pegs, Surcharge: On the house, Total: enjoy the show and get drunk and go home safe”.
The expenses were allegedly handled by his brother-in-law, Radha Charan Reddy, who, incidentally, is also the groom’s father.
Officials have raided his property and booked a case under the Benami Act and the Prevention of Corruption Act for abetting the crime.
Reddy is wanted by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for amassing wealth illegally.
On 2 February, officials raided Purushotham’s residence and other properties, and seized property worth Rs 25 crore. He’s been at large ever since, evading arrest.
Suspecting that he might have fled the country, the ACB has sent a lookout notice to the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) to trace him down and arrest him.
Purushotham was first caught in the ACB net in 2009, when it unearthed properties worth Rs 3.70 crore illegally acquired by him. At that time, he was associated with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation as Additional Chief City Planner.
However, he managed to get the charges against him dropped. Since then, he has allegedly used benamis to carry out his work.
On 9 February, ACB officials raided the residences and properties of two of his benamis – Yadava Reddy, Managing Director of Sri Sai Hara Hara Estates Pvt Ltd and G Nishanth, a businessman.
The ACB said then that Yadava Reddy’s business was used by Purushotham to launder his ill-gotten wealth.
(This article has been published in an arrangement with The News Minute.)
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