Andhra Pradesh liquor 'scam': Accused planned iron ore biz in Africa; chargesheet hints at money laundering

Time of India

4 days ago

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VIJAYAWADA: The special investigation team (SIT) probing the alleged Rs 3,500 crore liquor scam has detailed the international trail of Katta Pronnoy Prakash, one of the key witnesses, and other alleged operatives in the case.
According to the chargesheet filed by the SIT, Pronnoy's movements between Dubai, India, and several African countries were orchestrated by Chanakya, Raj Kasireddy, and former Chandragiri MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy, who have been named as key accused in the case. The chargesheet states that Pronnoy travelled to Dubai in June 2024, shortly after the election results.
It was his first visit to the UAE. The flight tickets for the trip were booked by Chanakya, who, along with his team, was already stationed in Dubai.
He initially entered on a visit visa, but managed to obtain a temporary residence visa in Jan this year and started living with Chanakya and another associate, Varun, in an apartment in Dubai. Varun joined the flat around two months after Pronnoy's arrival. The chargesheet reveals that during their stay, Varun disclosed to Pronnoy that he had collected funds from liquor companies and distilleries in Hyderabad.
He also mentioned that he was managing the affairs of Leela Distillery under the instructions of Raj Kasireddy, who was the IT adviser for the YSRCP govt.
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Another figure, Kiran Kumar Reddy (A-9), visited them periodically in Dubai, as per the SIT's findings.
As per the SIT document, Chanakya and Raj Kasireddy instructed Pronnoy to travel to African countries - specifically Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania - to assess the feasibility of initiating an iron ore business. They assured him that a new mining-related company was being planned under the leadership of Raj Kasireddy and Chevireddy, and promised that Pronnoy would be offered both a salary and equity in the company.
Paila Dileep, an associate of the group, booked the tickets through a private travels and sent them to Pronnoy. On Nov 2, 2024, Pronnoy flew to Zambia, where he spent about a month meeting officials from various govt depts to understand the mining operations there. He returned to Dubai in early Dec and returned to India around Dec 4 or 5, 2024.
A few days after arriving in India, he was contacted by CID officials who informed him that his name had come up during the interrogation of Chevuri Kiran Kumar.
Fearing the repercussions and with his Dubai visa having expired, Pronnoy flew to Thailand, where he met Chanakya again. While in Thailand, he renewed his Dubai visa and subsequently returned to the UAE.
The SIT chargesheet further details that while in Dubai, Pronnoy was added to a conference call by Chanakya, which was also attended by Chevireddy. At that time, Chevireddy was in Dubai to meet Gagan Gupta, the CEO of Arise Group, a company responsible for spearheading investment initiatives across African nations.
Chevireddy informed Pronnoy that he would be introduced to Nived Shetty, the person overseeing Arise Group's Tanzania operations, who would help facilitate the establishment of the iron ore company.
The chargesheet further mentions that Gagan Gupta used to be facilitated VIP darshan at Tirumala and Tirupati whenever he was in India, which were coordinated by Chevireddy.
On Jan 13, Pronnoy departed for Zimbabwe.
At Dubai airport, he met Manohar Ghorpade, a geologist from Bengaluru based in Australia. As mentioned in the SIT report, Ghorpade was responsible for handling technical aspects of the mining operations. The two of them travelled together within Zimbabwe, conducting feasibility assessments for iron ore extraction. Pronnoy stayed in the country for 17 days.
Subsequently, Chanakya directed Pronnoy to travel to Tanzania.
The SIT report specifies that on Jan 31, he flew to Tanzania and met Chevireddy, Mohith Reddy, and Cherukuri Venkatesh Naidu, a close aide of the Chevireddy family. The meeting was also attended by Nived Shetty. The SIT chargesheet provides a detailed timeline of Pronnoy's movements and interactions and connects several high-profile individuals and companies to the ongoing investigation into financial misappropriation involving distilleries, offshore investments, and mining ventures.
The international scale of the operation - spanning the UAE, India, and multiple African nations - has added new dimensions to the probe. Investigators are expected to further examine the role of travel agencies, digital communication tools, and offshore business contacts as they continue to piece together the financial architecture behind the scam.