<p>Hyderabad: Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged liquor scam in Andhra Pradesh seized bundles of cash concealed in carton boxes from a farmhouse on the outskirts of Hyderabad on Wednesday.</p><p>Acting on information provided by Varun Purushotham, listed as accused A-40 in the case, SIT conducted raids and recovered Rs 11 crore in cash from the farmhouse located in Kacharam village of Shamshabad mandal. The money was found hidden in 12 boxes in a storeroom, along with several files.</p><p>SIT officials found that the guest house operates under the name Sulochana Farms. According to their investigation, the cash belonged to prime accused Raj Kesireddy, and Varun had moved the money to the farmhouse on Kesireddy's instructions in June 2024.</p><p>SIT had taken Purushotham Varun Kumar into custody on Tuesday after he had been absconding since the case was registered. Following the liquor scam investigation, key figures allegedly helped Varun flee the country. While abroad, authorities issued both a lookout notice and a non-bailable warrant against him.</p><p>Varun fled abroad in July-August last year, according to SIT sources. The Secunderabad native, who holds an engineering degree, had been working at a Hyderabad coffee shop, earning Rs 32,000 per month. Raj Kesireddy's group allegedly recruited him into the liquor scam network through a diaspora Andhra doctor.</p><p>SIT understood that Varun was appointed as AP Operations Head for Leela Distilleries Private Limited in Puducherry, allegedly embezzling hundreds of crores in his name. Between June 2020 and March 2024, over a 21-month period, the AP Beverages Corporation deposited Rs 459 crore into the company's account, sources in SIT said.</p><p>SIT investigation revealed this business volume to be extraordinarily high. More significantly, they found that all funds were immediately transferred to various other accounts, with the majority of transactions conducted through shell companies. This evidence led to Varun Kumar being formally charged as an accused in the case.</p><p>Despite SIT's allegations, prime accused Raj Kesireddy has filed an affidavit in court on Wednesday categorically denying any connection to the Rs 11 crore seized from the Kacharam farmhouse. He has dismissed SIT's claims as "baseless and untrue".</p><p>Kesireddy said that the farmhouse owner, Teegala Vijayananda Reddy, operates multiple businesses including an engineering college, hospitals, and diagnostic centers with a turnover in hundreds of crores. He claimed that neither he nor his wife has significant involvement in these ventures, adding that his wife holds only a minimal stake in Arete Hospital.</p><p>"The money seized by the SIT has no relation to me whatsoever," Kesireddy asserted in his statement. He further alleged a deliberate conspiracy to prevent him from securing bail.</p>
<p>Hyderabad: Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged liquor scam in Andhra Pradesh seized bundles of cash concealed in carton boxes from a farmhouse on the outskirts of Hyderabad on Wednesday.</p><p>Acting on information provided by Varun Purushotham, listed as accused A-40 in the case, SIT conducted raids and recovered Rs 11 crore in cash from the farmhouse located in Kacharam village of Shamshabad mandal. The money was found hidden in 12 boxes in a storeroom, along with several files.</p><p>SIT officials found that the guest house operates under the name Sulochana Farms. According to their investigation, the cash belonged to prime accused Raj Kesireddy, and Varun had moved the money to the farmhouse on Kesireddy's instructions in June 2024.</p><p>SIT had taken Purushotham Varun Kumar into custody on Tuesday after he had been absconding since the case was registered. Following the liquor scam investigation, key figures allegedly helped Varun flee the country. While abroad, authorities issued both a lookout notice and a non-bailable warrant against him.</p><p>Varun fled abroad in July-August last year, according to SIT sources. The Secunderabad native, who holds an engineering degree, had been working at a Hyderabad coffee shop, earning Rs 32,000 per month. Raj Kesireddy's group allegedly recruited him into the liquor scam network through a diaspora Andhra doctor.</p><p>SIT understood that Varun was appointed as AP Operations Head for Leela Distilleries Private Limited in Puducherry, allegedly embezzling hundreds of crores in his name. Between June 2020 and March 2024, over a 21-month period, the AP Beverages Corporation deposited Rs 459 crore into the company's account, sources in SIT said.</p><p>SIT investigation revealed this business volume to be extraordinarily high. More significantly, they found that all funds were immediately transferred to various other accounts, with the majority of transactions conducted through shell companies. This evidence led to Varun Kumar being formally charged as an accused in the case.</p><p>Despite SIT's allegations, prime accused Raj Kesireddy has filed an affidavit in court on Wednesday categorically denying any connection to the Rs 11 crore seized from the Kacharam farmhouse. He has dismissed SIT's claims as "baseless and untrue".</p><p>Kesireddy said that the farmhouse owner, Teegala Vijayananda Reddy, operates multiple businesses including an engineering college, hospitals, and diagnostic centers with a turnover in hundreds of crores. He claimed that neither he nor his wife has significant involvement in these ventures, adding that his wife holds only a minimal stake in Arete Hospital.</p><p>"The money seized by the SIT has no relation to me whatsoever," Kesireddy asserted in his statement. He further alleged a deliberate conspiracy to prevent him from securing bail.</p>