SIT retrieves crucial video evidence in liquor scam case

Time of India

6 hours ago

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Vijayawada: In a significant breakthrough in the ongoing investigation into the multi-crore liquor scam, the special investigation team (SIT) retrieved incriminating video footage that is expected to intensify the legal and political ramifications of the case.
According to highly placed sources, SIT officials secured never-before-seen visuals that reportedly show a key accused counting large bundles of cash, suspected to be proceeds from the illegal liquor trade and electoral operations.
The individual seen in the video has been identified as Venkatesh Naidu, a close aide of YSRCP leader and former MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy. Naidu, who is named as Accused No. 34 in the liquor scam case, was arrested recently and is currently in judicial custody.
The SIT extracted the video footage from his mobile phone using advanced digital forensics. The videos were originally deleted and encrypted, but SIT officials managed to recover them using specialised technological methods.
The recovered video reportedly shows Venkatesh Naidu at a farmhouse in Hyderabad, counting wads of cash. SIT sources indicate that the money visible in the video is separate from the Rs 11 crore already seized in the case.
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Preliminary findings suggest that these funds were likely used during the recent general elections, although officials emphasised that further verification is underway.
Investigators believe the new footage could prove to be a turning point in the probe, as it provides visual corroboration of cash handling that may be linked to the alleged kickbacks and illegal transactions uncovered during raids in Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh.
Officials said the SIT team was tracking digital footprints and communication records for weeks before recovering this data.
The SIT also revealed that it recovered additional deleted video content from the mobile phones of other accused individuals. These include encrypted files that were believed to be wiped months ago. Forensic experts employed by the SIT used cutting-edge software tools to retrieve and decrypt the data.
With the inclusion of this new evidence, officials believe the investigation now possesses a robust and technically irrefutable body of proof against multiple accused. The SIT submitted the videos as part of its documentation to the court, and further arrests or chargesheets are likely in the coming days.
The liquor scam, which has drawn national attention, involves allegations of large-scale corruption in the procurement and distribution of alcohol in Andhra Pradesh. Several political functionaries, bureaucrats, and middlemen are under the scanner for their suspected roles in routing illegal funds through hawala networks and shell companies.
The SIT's findings are expected to further tighten the noose around prominent figures in the case, with sources suggesting that the political leadership connected to the accused is now under heightened scrutiny.
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