ACB searches ex-Andhra Minister's house, arrests son

Vijayawada, Aug 13 (IANS) Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) conducted searches at the residence of former Minister and YSR Congress Party leader Jogi Ramesh and arrested his son Jogi Rajeev in connection with the Agrigold lands case on Tuesday.

Fifteen officials of the anti-graft agency began searches at Jogi Ramesh’s house at Ibrahimpatnam in the NTR district around 5 a.m.

Jogi Rajeev is the accused number one in the FIR registered by CID in the Agrigold Lands case.

Jogi Ramesh’s uncle Jogi Venkateshwar Rao is also accused number one in the case. The FIR named some other accused also.

They allegedly purchased the lands attached by the CID in the Agri Gold scam in Ambapuram village in Vijayawada Rural mandal of NTR district and sold the same to others.

The CID registered the FIR on August 2 under Indian Penal Code sections 420, 409, 467, 471, 120 (B) read with 34 IPC

According to the FIR, the offence occurred before June 19, 2024, when YSR Congress Party was in power.

The case was registered based on an inquiry report by Abdul Kareem, DSP, CID.

Jogi Ramesh told media persons that his son is innocent. “My son studied in the US and worked at Deloitte. He has done nothing wrong,” the YSRCP leader said.

Ramesh said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and his son and Minister Nara Lokesh may have political vendetta against him but asked why his innocent son is being targeted. “Can someone purchase the lands attached by CID,” he asked while refuting the allegations.

The former Minister said if he or his family members had done anything wrong in Agri Gold lands, they would be ready to be hanged publicly in Vijayawada.

The CID had attached the land as part of the process to attach assets of Agrigold, a company that had duped over 11 lakh depositors in an investment scheme.

The Rs 6,380 crore Agrigold financial fraud had come to light in 2014-15. The CID and the Enforcement Directorate, which probed the fraud, attached assets worth Rs 4,141 crore in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka.