Sleuths of the Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), investigating the cash-for-vote case, arrested TDP legislator from Sattupalli in Khammam district Sandra Venkata Veeraiah after questioning him for over seven hours here on Monday.
Mr. Veeraiah came to the ACB office in Banjara Hills at 10.30 a.m. and after prolonged questioning, officials declared his arrest later in the evening, communicating the same to his family members. The TDP legislator is understood to have been quizzed about persons who arranged Rs. 50 lakh cash taken to nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson’s residence by first-accused in the case, A. Revanth Reddy, another TDP MLA, and from where these persons planned to mobilise the remaining Rs. 4.5 crore promised as part of the ‘deal.’
Also, the call data records on his phone indicated his conversations with the nominated MLAs, apart from Sebastian and Mathiah, who were earlier arrested. Mr. Veeraiah is said to have spoken to several other MLAs belonging to the YSR Congress too.
The ACB had served a notice on the TDP legislator, suspected to be one of the middlemen involved in the scam, on June 16.
However, Mr. Veeraiah underwent “treatment for viral fever” in a private hospital at Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh and wrote a letter to ACB on June 19 seeking 10 days time to appear before it as he was not keeping well. Later, the ACB served another notice on Mr. Veeraiah asking him to appear before it on July 6.
Till late in the evening, he was not taken for medical examination, as was said earlier. He is likely to be produced at the residence of Lakshmipathi, Principal Judge, ACB Cases early on Wednesday morning. Later, the ACB will move the Court seeking police custody for further questioning and investigation.
