Former police officer and Telugu Desam leader from Andhra Pradesh Shivanand Reddy had allegedly planned and grabbed assigned land under litigation by threatening assignees and manipulating all government rules and procedures, officials from the Central Crime Station (CCS) police said.
Officials said that the Hyderabad police had booked a case against Reddy on April 2. “He evaded arrest when they went to nab him at his residence in Alluru Village of Nandyal, AP, by obstructing the cops with the help of a huge gathering,” the officials added.
Explaining the several cases related to land grab in Budvel Village of Rajendranagar, officials said that the incidents date back to 2022.
“The Government of United Andhra Pradesh had allocated agricultural surplus land in Budvel Village to individuals from the Scheduled Caste community in 1994. However, some assignees leased their lands to SK Developers, leading to the cancellation of their assignment pattas by the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) Chevella. The land was subsequently handed over to HMDA and the Tourism department. Although the assignees approached the High Court challenging the cancellation, the court initially upheld the RDO’s decision but later overturned it, allowing the assignees to request developed plots from the government,” explained the officials.
Meanwhile, exploiting the situation, T. J. Prakash, Koneru Gandhi, Dasharatha Rama Rao and others convinced the assignees to invest money by promising to resolve the land dispute through government officials and politicians. These individuals collected funds from the complainants under false pretences, knowing that the land could not be sold or transferred according to Act 1 of 1977.
In 2021, assignees sought assistance from Dayanand, a local real estate broker, who involved Shivanand Reddy. Reddy assured the assignees of obtaining allotments using his connections. Despite knowing the land’s legal complexities, Reddy convinced the assignees to pay nominal amounts for plots. He further facilitated the registration of plots to his companies, A & U Infra Park and Vessella Greens, which belonged to him and his family members.
During the investigation, it was discovered that Reddy orchestrated a scheme to acquire the disputed land by manipulating government procedures and coercing assignees.
