Officers of the Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau came for Sankireddy Bheem Reddy at about 7:40 p.m. on Monday, at his home in the Vessella Meadows complex in Ibrahimbagh. He was a Deputy Superintendent of Police, posted with Police Computer Services in Hyderabad. By the end of the evening he was under arrest in a disproportionate assets case.
The arrest came after a weekend of searches. The ACB hit 16 locations across Telangana and Karnataka on Saturday, going after people it described as his benamidars, along with relatives, associates and friends. The bureau put the total value of the assets at roughly Rs 200 crore at market rates.
What the searches turned up
The list is long. Villas, residential buildings, flats and commercial spaces. Agricultural land in several districts. A Rs 75 lakh stake in a rock sand mining company. Investigators also reported about 2 kg of gold ornaments, close to 20 kg of silver, bank balances of Rs 19.91 lakh and 23 bottles of foreign liquor.
Cash came to Rs 3.6 lakh at Reddy’s own residence and Rs 40 lakh at the home of an alleged benamidar, Free Press Journal reported, a combined Rs 43.6 lakh.
Officers also found a handwritten diary. According to the Free Press Journal, it listed properties, investments, liabilities and the names of alleged benamidars, and Reddy wrote it before a May pilgrimage to Char Dham with his wife.
Hospital, then jail
Reddy was not questioned straight away. He had been admitted to a private hospital after his blood pressure reportedly rose during the searches. “As Bheem Reddy was admitted to a private hospital, we could not record his statement,” an ACB official told The News Minute.
The bureau rejected suggestions that he was getting special treatment. “Our investigation is the same in all cases that include DA or traps. People have faith that justice will be done,” an official said, according to Deccan Chronicle. The official added that his hospital admission was backed by earlier medical records.
By 8 July he had been suspended. After a court appearance and a check-up at a government hospital, he was sent to Chanchalguda central prison on a 14-day remand, Deccan Chronicle reported. Officials were still questioning his alleged benamis to trace the assets.
The paper also sketched his career. Reddy joined the force as a constable in 1989, became a sub-inspector in 1995 and an inspector in 2010, and reached DSP rank in 2017. His postings included Narayanguda, Miyapur and Raidurgam. Investigators allege that before the pilgrimage he spread assets among his sons and aides, in some cases through general power of attorney documents.
Sources
- Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau arrests DSP Sankireddy Bheem Reddy
- ACB Arrests Bheem Reddy, Denies Favouritism
- Telangana DSP Arrested In Rs 300 Crore Disproportionate Assets Case; Rs 40 Lakh Cash, 2 Kg Gold Seized
- Suspended DSP Sent to 14-Day Remand in Rs 200 Crore Assets Case
