IT Raids On Malla Reddy's Properties End On Dramatic Note

The income tax departments searches of the residences, institutions and other establishments of Telangana Labour Minister Ch Malla Reddy and his relatives ended on a dramatic note in the early hours of Thursday.

Nearly 400 officers conducted raids on properties owned by the State Minister for three days. During the searches, the IT officials seized some important documents, cash and gold from the raided locations.

However, high drama prevailed when the IT officials and the minister reached the Bowenpally police station early this morning and filed complaints against each other.

The issue started when Malla Reddy and an IT official Ratnakar came to the Bowenpally police station.

The minister alleged that the officials had come to the hospital where his son Mahendar Reddy was admitted, and had forcibly taken signatures from the latter on some documents misleading him about the contents of the documents (Malla Reddy claimed that his son did not understand English, and so signed).

The IT official alleged that his laptop and mobile, and some documents, were seized by the minister. The minister claimed that the official had just fogotten his laptop at his (Reddy's) home, and that he (Reddy) was just returning it to a police station.

The followers of the minister brought along the laptop belonging to Ratnakar to the police station to hand it over to the minister. However, the CRPF personnel who were along with the IT official didn't allow the minister's followers to go inside, and it led to a protest.

Malla Reddy later lodged a complaint against the IT officials that they had brutally beaten up his son and misbehaved with him.

He said that his family didn't have any unaccounted money, and that the IT officials were simply harassing his family and him, and incorporating false details in their records, including that black money of Rs 100 crore was found in his family's possession, and that the IT officials forcibly took the signature of his son on some documents.

"The officials did not even bother to show the files signed by my son. And this is the first time that I saw IT officials accompanied by a huge contingent of CRPF jawans. If the IT officials prove that we have violated any law, we are ready to pay the fine. Why are they treating us like we are thieves? They did not even bother to inform us that my son was admitted to the hospital. We are ready to face any number of raids," the minister said.

The IT officer Ratnakar also lodged a complaint with the police about the seizing of his laptop and mobile, and some documents.

The police registered both the complaints.