The Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (AP CID) has attached certain immovable properties of the accused persons and companies in the alleged scam in the Phase-I of the A.P. FiberNet Project case.
The government has allowed the CID to attach properties, which include residential flats, plots and agriculture lands, in the limits of the municipal corporations of Guntur and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Hyderabad in Telangana.
The CID alleges that “former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, A-25 in the case, had conspired with Vemuru Harikrishna Prasad (A-1) and Tummala Gopichand (A-11), director of Tera Software Ltd., hatched a conspiracy, and awarded the project in favour of Tera Software Ltd. in a fraudulent manner by accepting false experience certificates though Tera Software Ltd. was ineligible to participate in the tender process.”
The CID also alleges that “while executing the project, the accused, in pursuance of their conspiracy, violated the tender agreements and involved the companies of the Viplav Kumar V.L.S (A-23) with a mala fide intention, utilised substandard materials and got released the funds to Tera Software Ltd. in a fraudulent manner without supply of goods and services, and thereby caused misappropriation of ₹114 crore to the government exchequer.”
The CID had registered the case on September 9, 2021, based on a complaint filed by M. Madhusudhan Reddy, Managing Director, APSFL, Vijayawada.
The properties attached in Andhra Pradesh included a residential plot of 797 sq. yards in D.No. 120 at Koritepadu village in Guntur, owned by Kanumuri Koteswara Rao, a resident of Hyderabad, and a residential flat (No. 503) in an extent of 48.35 sq. yards at Hema Heritage in Kirlampudi Layout in Visakhapatnam, owned by Netops Fiber Solutions LLP, represented by its director Mr. Koteswara Rao.
The properties attached in Hyderabad belonged to the Tera Software Ltd., its managing director Mr. Gopichand and his wife.
A plot (No. 1107) in an extent of 745 sq. yards at Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad and three flats, each of 1,080 sq. ft., at Sai Sadan, at Kesava Nagar, Srinagar Colony, Hyderabad, of Tera Software Ltd. were attached.
A flat (No. 101) measuring 1,607 sq. ft. at Madhura (Yusufguda) in Hyderabad owned by Mr. Gopichand and four acres of agricultural land of Tummala Pavana Devi, wife of Mr. Gopichand, located at Chinamangalaram village under Moinabad mandal in Ranga Reddy district of Telangana were also attached.
The CID has said that these properties are attached under the provisions of Criminal Law Amendment Ordinance, 1944, for preventing the disposal, or concealment of wrongful gain obtained by means of offence by the accused and accused companies.
‘Criminal conspiracy’
Harish Kumar Gupta, Principal Secretary, Home Department, issued a G.O. Ms. No. 180, dated October 31, 2023, authorising the Investigating Officer of AP CID to file an application before the Court of Special Judge for SPE and ACB cases in Vijayawada to make the orders absolute.
The CID alleged that this was a case of criminal misconduct by means of cheating, forgery, and forgery for the purpose of cheating by using a forged document as a genuine one, designed criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust by public servant in connivance with private persons.
