ED Questions BRS MLA Rohith Reddy In Hyderabad

ED questioned Tandur MLA, the complainant in the MLAs’ poaching case, for about six hours in connection with the alleged money laundering probe.

The MLA told reporters at the ED regional office in Hyderabad on Monday night that there was still no clarity about the case to which he was summoned. ( Image Source :ABP Desam )

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA Pilot Rohith Reddy appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday. ED questioned Tandur MLA, the complainant in the MLAs' poaching case, for about six hours in connection with the alleged money laundering probe.

The MLA told reporters at the ED regional office in Hyderabad on Monday night that there was still no clarity about the case to which he was summoned.

Rohith Reddy said the ED officials collected personal details from him. "They also asked for details about my family members. I responded to all their questions. The ED has not yet given clarity about the case in which they have summoned me," he said.

Rohith Reddy came to the ED office around 3 p.m. after it turned down his request to give him time to furnish the information sought. He said that since he was observing 'Ayyappa Deeksha, he sought time until December 31, but the ED officials rejected his plea. "As a law-abiding citizen, I have come to the ED office, and I will fully cooperate with the officials," he said.

The Enforcement Directorate, in its notice served on December 15, had directed Rohith Reddy to appear along with details of bank accounts, financial transactions, and income tax returns.

MLA Rohith Reddy alleged that the BJP government at the centre is using the ED, the Income Tax Department, and the CBI to harass BRS leaders.

The ED notice is reportedly for questioning him in an investigation related to a drug case about alleged money laundering. He, however, denied state BJP chief Bandi Sanjay's claim that Karnataka Police served him with a notice in the drugs case.

The MLA from Tandur was the petitioner in the alleged conspiracy to poach BRS MLAs.

Notably, the Telangana government formed the SIT on November 9 to investigate the case. The SIT has six police officers and is headed by Hyderabad Police Commissioner.

It is to be noted that Ramachandra Bharati, alias Satish Sharma, a priest from Faridabad in Haryana, Simhayaji, pontiff of Srimanatha Raja Peetham in Tirupati, and Nandakumar, owner of a restaurant in Hyderabad, have been arrested from a farmhouse at Moinabad near Hyderabad on the night of October 26, when they were allegedly trying to lure four TRS MLAs with offers of money.

Cyberabad police conducted the raid on a tip-off by Pilot Rohit Reddy, one of the MLAs, who alleged that the accused offered Rs 100 crore to him and Rs 50 crore each to three others.

(With inputs from ABP Desam — It is a Telugu platform of ABP News. For more news, commentary and latest happenings from two Telugu states, follow https://telugu.abplive.com/)