Malla Reddy, I-T sleuths lodge complaints against each other amid high drama

HYDERABAD: In a sudden twist, Telangana Minister C Malla Reddy, whose residences and offices were raided for two days, and the Income Tax Department officials lodged police complaints against each other late on Wednesday night. A high drama was witnessed throughout the night in the process even as Malla Reddy reportedly alleged that the I-T officials forcibly took the signatures of his son, who is unwell, from the hospital bed.

Even as the two-day raids on the premises of Malla Reddy and his family members came to an end, tension prevailed for a while on Wednesday night when the I-T sleuths reportedly barged into the Telangana Minister's house for further searches.

Confusion also prevailed on the exact amount that was reportedly seized during the two-day searches. While some reports said that a total of Rs 1.74 crore was seized, Malla Reddy reportedly claimed that it was only Rs 28 lakhs.

High drama ensued when the Minister and I-T officials arrived at the Bowenpally police station and lodged complaints against each other.

The I-T officials, according to the minister, visited the hospital, where his son Mahendar Reddy was being treated, and forcibly collected his signatures.

According to reports, the CRPF members and I-T officials also arrived at the police station and restricted the entry for Malla Reddy and his followers inside with the help of a heavy posse of CRPF personnel.

A laptop, reportedly left behind by an I-T official, Ratnakar, at Malla Reddy's residence, also added its bit to the drama. The Minister's supporters reportedly brought the laptop belonging to Ratnakar to the police station to hand it over to the Minister. However, the CRPF personnel refused to allow the Minister's supporters to enter, resulting in a protest.

The Minister later lodged a complaint against the I-T officials, alleging that they had brutally beaten and ill-treated his son. He claimed that they had no unaccounted money and that I-T officials were simply harassing them and furnishing false information in their records.

Several teams of I-T officials carried out the raids on the residences and offices of Malla Reddy and his family members since early Tuesday morning on suspicion of tax evasion. They reportedly examined Reddy's tax returns as well as those of the educational institutions owned by him and his family members.