The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at the premises of former YSRCP MP and Telugu film producer M V V Satyanarayana, along with several others in Andhra Pradesh, in connection with a money laundering probe tied to an alleged land grab case, on Saturday. The federal agency carried out searches at five locations in Visakhapatnam, including Satyanarayana's residence and that of an auditor.
Satyanarayana, who lost the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Visakhapatnam, has also been involved in the Telugu film industry as a producer. The current investigation stems from a police FIR lodged in Visakhapatnam on June 22, accusing Satyanarayana and others of unlawfully seizing government land intended for a residential project for senior citizens and orphans, according to a report on PTI.
The complainant, Ch Jagadeeswarudu, a promoter of Haigreeva Infratech Projects Ltd., alleged that he and his wife were allocated 12.51 cents of land in Yendada village by the Andhra Pradesh government in 2008 for the purpose of developing housing for seniors and orphans. Jagadeeswarudu claimed that he enlisted the help of an auditor, G Venkateswara Rao, who introduced him to Satyanarayana and a man named Gadde Brahmaji to carry out the project.
However, Jagadeeswarudu alleged that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2020 was compromised, with his and his wife's signatures being "fabricated."
The complainant also claimed they were coerced into signing blank papers under duress, with the accused allegedly conspiring to take over their valuable property, while issuing severe threats, as per a report on Times of India.
MVV Satyanarayana, a prominent figure in the Telugu film industry, has produced films such as Geethanjali (2014), Luck Unnodu (2017) and Neevevaro (2018). In politics, he served as the Visakhapatnam MP representing the YSR Congress in 2019.