Naidu cases: AP-CID denies destroying documents; TDP complains to CEO against SIT head

April 09, 2024 09:27 pm | Updated 09:28 pm IST - GUNTUR

The Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (AP-CID) has written to Heritage Foods Pvt. Ltd. (HFPL) stating that the documents provided by the company were safe and were produced as evidence in the court where the Amaravati Inner Ring Road case trial is going on.

HFPL, in a mail on Monday (April 8), asked the CID whether the documents of the company were safe, in the wake of allegations of destruction of certain papers related to the company at the CID office at Tadepalli.

Responding to the mail, the CID clarified that all the documents collected by the investigation officer as part of the investigation from various accused and others were safe.

Reacting to the news telecast by some vernacular TV channels in this regard, the CID clarified that it did not destroy any evidence or documents pertaining to five cases in which the Telugu Desam Party national president Nara Chandrababu Naidu and others are accused.

‘’The Economic Offences Wing (EOW)-2 of CID-SIT submitted chargesheets in 5 cases before the Court of Special Judge for SPE & ACB cases & III Addl. Sessions Judge, Vijayawada. Even prior to the filing of the chargesheet, case diaries and the originals of evidences were being submitted periodically to the court. The accused must be provided with copies of all the evidence submitted along with the chargesheets. Each chargesheet is accompanied by 8000-10000 pages of voluminous documentary evidence and each case has 12 to 40 accused. Thus, photocopies of lakhs of pages are being prepared. During the process, owing to the heating up of photocopier machines, papers getting stuck, reduced level of ink, etc., some papers came out with faded print. These were culled out and destroyed by shredding or burning. Fresh prints were taken in their place,” K. Raghuram Reddy, Inspector General of Police (IGP) at the EOW, said in a rejoinder.

“It was wrongly reported in the news channels that evidences were fabricated to build false cases against certain persons, and that documents pertaining to HFPL and the Income Tax Returns of certain persons were obtained illegally and therefore, were being destroyed,” he added.

Crime committed: TDP

On the other hand, the TDP lodged a complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena on Monday alleging that the AP-CID had burnt certain important documents pertaining to the five cases filed by the investigation agency against Mr. Chandrababu Naidu, and his son and party general secretary Nara Lokesh.

TDP leaders Varla Ramaiah and others, in a complaint to the CEO, alleged, “K. Raghuram Reddy, Inspector General of Police, who heads the Special Investigation Team (SIT), committed a crime by burning the key documents at the office premises of AP CID.” They further alleged, “The Chief Secretary K.S. Jawahar Reddy and DGP K.V. Rajendranath Reddy were protecting Mr. Raghurami Reddy, even after he indulged in a crime by destroying evidence.’‘

The Chief Secretary and the DGP should be transferred for ensuring that the general elections are conducted in a free and fair manner, they urged.