Liquor Scam: Dramatic Turn of Events Behind the Arrest of Raj Kasireddy

Raj Kasireddy, also known as Kasireddy Rajasekhar Reddy, who is facing allegations as a key conspirator in the Andhra Pradesh liquor scam, was finally taken into custody by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). He was arrested on Monday evening at the Shamshabad Airport in a meticulously planned operation after evading four summons for questioning.

Authorities had been intensively tracking Raj Kasireddy, who had gone into hiding to avoid appearing before the SIT. As part of the investigation, the SIT interrogated his father, Upender Reddy, on Friday. Following this, Raj Kasireddy sent a WhatsApp message to his father in an attempt to learn the details of the interrogation. The SIT, which had been monitoring Upender Reddy’s phone, traced the origin of the message to Goa.

Upon discovering this, the SIT immediately dispatched a team to Goa on Monday morning. However, learning about the investigation’s progress in advance, Raj Kasireddy released an audio message claiming he would appear for questioning on Tuesday. Meanwhile, he booked a flight ticket from Goa to Hyderabad using a fake identity under the name “Rajesh Reddy.”

The SIT, having detected this deception, deployed another team at Shamshabad Airport. They discovered that Raj Kasireddy had also booked a connecting flight to Chennai, which raised suspicions that he intended to flee abroad from there. When he did not exit the airport after landing, the SIT team entered the premises with assistance from airport authorities. They identified and apprehended him inside the terminal.

Despite pleading with officials by saying, “I will come for the investigation tomorrow, please let me go,” the SIT team rejected his request, stating that someone who had already ignored four official summons could not be trusted.

Following the arrest, the SIT informed his father by phone and immediately transferred Raj Kasireddy to the SIT office in Vijayawada during the night. He is likely to be presented before the CID court on Tuesday, where the SIT is expected to seek custody. It may be recalled that the SIT had previously conducted raids on Raj Kasireddy’s house and office, seized crucial documents, and also issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against him.