Government official in scam has a crorepati driver

Hyderabad: The ACB investigating corrupt officials of the stamps and registration department stumbled upon a crorepati driver of a sub-registrar who has no other source of income.

The ACB conducted searches at the premises of Medchal sub-registrar T. Ramesh Chandra Reddy at 12 locations and unearthed Rs 4 crore disproportionate assets, registered in his name and in the name of his family and benamis, including his driver A. Krishna Reddy.

Benamis hide Ramesh Chandra Reddy's wealth 

LB Nagar former sub-registrar Ramesh Chandra Reddy was arrested by the LB Nagar police on Tuesday for causing a Rs 1.45-crore loss to the stamps and registration department by unduly favouring the South India Research Institute (SIRI).

The sub-registrar bought most of his land, gold and put money in fixed deposits while he was working in the LB Nagar sub-registrar's office during the time that the SIRI stamp duty evasion took place.

ACB teams led by deputy superintendents of police D. Sunita and J. Ashok Kumar conducted searches at



various places and found a sale agreement for a 300-yard plot at Karma-nghat in the name of driver Krishna Reddy, alleged to be a proxy of Mr Ramesh Chandra Reddy. The document says the driver paid Rs 46 lakh for the plot.

Mr Ashok Kumar said that an account in HDFC Bank in the name of Krishna Reddy but operated by Ramesh Krishna Reddy, had Rs 89 lakh. "The sedan used by the sub-registrar is registered in the name of the driver," Mr Kumar said. The ACB has searched the houses of documentary writers who are acting as benamis to the accused.

"We have found 5.04 acres in Kesaram in Bhongir mandal, which is actually worth Rs 98 lakh, but the document shows it as being worth Rs 15 lakh. This is in the name of one M. Manjula, wife of Mekhala Venkat Reddy," Mr Kumar said. Some 4.36 acres of agriculture land in Raigir, in Bhongir mandal, worth Rs 32 lakh, around 3.5 kg of gold jewellery worth Rs 70 lakh, fixed deposits worth Rs 30 lakh and bank balance of Rs 18 lakh were found during the searches. Documents of two flats, were also recovered.