Hyderabad: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned Nanda Kumar, an accused in the BRS MLAs’ poaching case, in connection with alleged money laundering, for a second consecutive day on Tuesday.
The ED officials were recording the statement of Nanda Kumar in Chanchalguda Central Prison, where he is currently lodged.
The central agency had obtained permission from a city court to question Nanda Kumar for two days.
The 3rd Additional Chief Metropolitan Court had on Saturday granted permission to ED Assistant Director Sumit Goyal and two other officers to record his statement in jail for two days in the presence of his lawyers.
The court had also directed the enforcement officers considered as police officials under the PMLA Act, should scrupulously follow the Civil Procedure Code under Section 50 of the Act and avoid using third degree methods to compel the accused to give his statement.
The Enforcement Directorate already questioned the complainant in the poaching case, BRS legislator Pilot Rohith Reddy for two days and Abhishek Avala and Arun Avala, directors of 7 Hills Manikchand Pvt Ltd in connection with the money laundering allegations.
The agency is suspecting that several transactions were made between Nanda Kumar, Abhishek, Arun and Rohith Reddy and his brother Rithesh Reddy.
Rohith Reddy, who is a complainant in MLAs’ poaching case, has filed a petition in the High Court against questioning by the ED.
The MLA wondered why the ED was questioning the complainant and not the accused and alleged that the BJP was trying to implicate him in a false case through the ED.
He claimed to have information that the central agency will try to implicate him by recording a fabricated statement from Nanda Kumar.
Ramachandra Bharati, Simhayaji and Nanda Kumar were arrested by Cyberabad police during a raid on a farm house at Moinabad near Hyderabad on October 26.
The police made the arrests on a tip-off by Pilot Rohit Reddy, who alleged that the accused offered Rs 100 crore to him and Rs 50 crore each to three others.
Telangana High Court had granted bail to all three accused in MLAs poaching case on December 1.
However, Ramachandra Bharati and Nanda Kumar were re-arrested by the police soon after their release from jail on December 8 in connection with other cases registered against them.
While Ramachandra Bharati was booked for holding multiple passports, Aadhaar cards and other documents, five cases were registered against Nanda Kumar for cheating and other offences.
In a significant development in the MLAs poaching case, Telangana High Court on Monday transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
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