Amaravati, Aug 2 (PTI) Kasireddy Raja Sekhar Reddy, the prime accused in the Rs 3,200-crore liquor scam, allegedly taken place during the previous YSRCP government in Andhra Pradesh, filed a memo in the Court, expressing suspicion that the 'cash seized near Hyderabad was printed after June, 2024 while police claim that he stashed it before that date.
On July 30, the Andhra Pradesh Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged liquor scam seized Rs 11 crore from a farmhouse near Hyderabad based on the 'confession' of Varun Purushotham, accused no:40.
"It is the case of the prosecution that the accused no.1 (Raja Sekhar Reddy) has preserved the alleged cash (Rs 11 crore) secretly before June, 2024. However, the accused no: 1 expressed suspicion that the police have planted the currency notes which were printed after June, 2024," said his memo filed on Saturday.
Claiming that there is a mismatch between the time of the alleged stashing of the cash and the date of their actual printing, Raja Sekhar Reddy appealed to the Court to record the serial numbers of the currency notes.
He alleged that police produced a false seizure of Rs 11 crore cash and filed a petition in the Court to appoint an advocate commissioner to record the serial numbers of all the seized currency notes on camera and produce the footage to the Court.
Likewise, Raja Sekhar Reddy requested the Court to take such other steps as required to keep a track of the seized money.
According to the memo, investigation officer Srihari personally appeared before the Court and informed that the cash was already deposited in Machavaram branch of SBI on August 1.
"However, it is learnt that the investigating agency has not yet deposited the cash in bank and in view of the suspicion and foul play expressed by A1, the investigating agency has been making hectic efforts hurriedly to replace the currency notes to alter, tamper and screen the evidence," Raja Sekhar Reddy claimed in his memo to the Court.
In the event the SIT is allowed to replace the currency notes, Raja Sekhar Reddy informed the Court that he will be put to great injustice and hardship.
Under these circumstances, it is expeditious in the interest of justice to direct the investigating agency to direct the manager of SBI Machavaram Branch, Vijayawada to keep the currency notes intact which were seized and avoid mixing them with other currency notes available in the bank.
Further, he observed that saving the seized currency notes from mixing with others will cause no prejudice to the process of investigation.