The Hyderabad Police on Tuesday filed an FIR against eight people, including Bharatiya Janata Party General Secretary P Muralidhar Rao, for alleged cheating and forgery. Some reports, however, said a case was registered against nine people.
They have been accused of cheating a woman and her husband of Rs 2.1 crore after promising him a government job in 2016, the Deccan Chronicle reported. The police filed a case after the complainant, Talla Pravarna Reddy, approached the Rangareddy district court. The Delhi Crime Branch had also registered a case against the accused in the past.
“Following the court orders, a case has been registered against the accused persons including Muralidhar Rao on the complaint of Ms Pravarna Reddy that the accused have taken Rs 2.17 crore promising a nominated post,” said Saroornagar Inspector E Srinivas Reddy.
The police have booked the accused under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure relating to cheating, forgery, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy.
The complainant said that one of their acquaintances, an Eshwar Reddy, who claimed to be close to BJP members introduced them to a person named Krishna Kishore, who was Rao’s close associate. They allegedly promised to make Talla Pravarna Reddy’s husband Mahipal Reddy the nominated chairperson of Pharma Exil, which functions under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industries, if they paid money.
The accused then allegedly collected Rs 2.17 crore from the Reddys and showed them the copy of an appointment letter, purportedly signed by the then Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
However, when Mahipal Reddy was not appointed to the post and the couple demanded their money back, Muralidhar Rao allegedly threatened them. Eshwar Reddy promised to return the money but failed to do so, the complainant alleged.
Rao, however, denied any connection to the dispute. “The FIR involving me reportedly is sequel to a private complaint in a court by those who actually are facing criminal charges in the same matter,” Rao said on Twitter. “The timing of the private complaint which has no base is mischievous to say the least.”
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