The Anti Corruption Bureau has already registered five criminal cases and arrested more than thirty people, reports Mohammed Siddique
In an unprecedented move, the Anti Corruption Bureau on Monday launched raid operation against the department of excise and prohibition across the state.
Teams of the ACB fanned out in many districts and searched excise offices, going through the records and files, and seizing them. Raids were carried out in the districts of Mahbubnagar, Kurnool, Kadapa, Nellore and Guntur in the backdrop of continuing investigation into the alleged nexus between the liquor syndicates, government officials, politicians, policemen and journalists.
The ACB officials conducted searches in the offices of the excise superintendents on Monday in Narsaraopeta in Guntur district, Nellore city, Nandyal and Kurnool towns and Mahbubnagar.
Apart from seizing records and computer hard disks, they also questioned some of the officials.
The fresh round of raids have come a day after four excise officials in Khammam district were arrested and sent to jail for their alleged close links with liquor syndicate chief Nunna Venkat Ramanna.
The ACB has already registered five criminal cases in connection with the illegal activities of the powerful liquor syndicates in the state and arrested more than thirty people including liquor traders and officials.
The ACB investigations have revealed that liquor syndicates were paying crores of rupees as bribes to officials and politicians as protection for their illegal practices. They have been carrying out retail liquor business without valid licenses and permissions and selling liquor at prices higher than the maximum retail price.
The entire affair took a politically explosive turn as one of the arrested kingpins of the liquor syndicates -- Nunna Venkat Ramanna -- alleged that he had paid a bribe of Rs 10 lakh to Excise Minister Mopidevi Venkat Ramanna.
The minister has, however, denied the allegation and the liquor trader has also retracted his statement saying it was given under duress. But the ACB Director General D Bhupati Babu said that Nunna Venkat Ramanna owns 29 liquor shops in Khammam, while another 80 shops in Khammam and Warangal districts were under his influence.
Several other Congress politicians including transport minister and state Congress chief Botsa Satyanarayana were also under opposition fire for their alleged involvement in the liquor trade that fetches the state government Rs 15,000 crore.
The opposition parties have alleged that Botsa Satyanrayana owns many liquor shops in coastal Andhra region in the name of other people.
Meanwhile, the state Congress president Botsa Satyanarayana said that he will see to it that none of his relatives and associates was linked to the liquor trade after the month of June.
He told the media on Monday that the fresh licenses for liquor shops will be auctioned in the month of June and he will ensure that none of his relatives and associates are linked to the liquor trade.
Botsa, who is facing serious allegations of misusing his official position to corner many licenses for liquor shops in coastal Andhra in the name of some of his relatives and associates, denied any links with the liquor syndication or indulging in any illegal activity.
