The Crime Investigation Department of Andhra Pradesh police launched pre-dawn searches on Friday at the Jubilee Hills residence of the then director of AP State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) and retired IAS officer K. Lakshminarayana.
Dr. Lakshminarayana and 25 others, including the then special secretary (Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Department) Ghanta Subba Rao, were accused of alleged diversion of funds of ₹241.78 crore by Designtech and Siemens Projects through various shell companies. Dr. Lakshminarayana was a key official in AP former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s office.
Following a complaint lodged by the current chairman of APSSDC K Ajay Reddy, the CID started an enquiry in July and registered a case on December 9 under Sections 166, 167, 418, 420, 465, 468, 471, 409, 201, 109 r/w 120 (B) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 13 (2) r/w 13(1)(c) and (d) of Prevention of Corruption Act.
Around 2.45 a.m. the CID team led by the inspector (Economic Offence Wing-II) G.V.V. Satyanarayana reached Dr. Lakshminarayana's house with a search warrant, but the latter and his family members tried to prevent the officers from entering the house. However, after a few hours, the team with the support o Jubilee Hills police started the searches for ‘incriminating documents, valuable securities and other material objects’ pertaining to the case.
Upon receiving the information about the searches, the managing director of a vernacular media house and a close confidant of Mr. Chandrababu Naidu reached Dr. Lakshminarayana’s house with his video journalists and stayed there for more than four hours.
After the media tycoon left the house, around 4.30 p.m. the former bureaucrat fainted reportedly due to a sudden drop in blood sugar levels and was rushed to a corporate hospital at Banjara Hills for immediate medical assistance.
During their searches which came to an end around 6 p.m., the CID recovered and seized several incriminating materials, including electronic devices. Later, a summon notice was issued and the former IAS officer was asked to appear at their Mangalagiri office on December 13 for questioning.
Meanwhile, family members of Dr.Lakshminarayana accused the CID team of planting the documents in their house and later showing the same as seized material.
