Huge amount diverted, Chandrababu Naidu actively involved: Andhra top cop

Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who was arrested in a Rs 300 crore financial fraud case, was actively involved in diverting huge amounts of money from the government to private entities, Chief of Andhra Police’s Crime Investigation Department (CID), N Sanjay, said on Wednesday. The CID Chief also stated that the Skill Development Corporation was established by flouting the rules.

According to the senior police officer, “a considerable sum from the [Skill Development] corporation was transferred to a private entity, then to another private entity, and subsequently to shell companies.’ Sanjay stated that the CID and Enforcement Directorate officials are investigating the money trail.

Addressing the media, the CID chief pointed out the alleged involvement of the former Chief Minister in “actively moving the government machinery towards granting funds, establishing the Skill Development Corporation, concluding of such agreements, and channelling substantial amounts from the government to private entities.”

Sanjay also alleged that due procedures were not followed when establishing the corporation and revealed that as many as 13 signatures of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief were found on various documents related to the Skill Development Corporation.

Furthermore, the CID chief stated that their investigation uncovered that Naidu and his aides had orchestrated the entire scheme, despite some officers being unwilling to do it.

Naidu was arrested on September 9 in connection with a fraud case involving the misappropriation of funds from the Skill Development Corporation, resulting in a loss of over Rs 300 crore to the state government.

He also dismissed allegations that the CID is acting as a ‘private army’ for the current YSR Congress Party government or Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. ‘We are a government organisation, not private, and nothing has been done secretly,’ he emphasised.

However, he declined to comment on Naidu’s son Nara Lokesh’s alleged involvement in the Skill Development scam, citing a lack of “sufficient evidence” at present.