Inflated Invoices, Irregularities Worth Rs 700 Crore: ED to Probe Sheep Scam in Telangana

The Enforcement Directorate is set to conduct investigation into an alleged Rs 700-crore fraud in Sheep Rearing Development Scheme (SRDC) in Telangana under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The Central Agency’s deputy director, Magimai Arockaraj, wrote a letter to the Managing Director of Telangana State Sheep and Goat Development Cooperative Federation Ltd on June 11, asking for information about the scheme.

The ED asked for the following: district-wise details of all beneficiaries of the scheme, details of the sellers from whom the sheep were purchased, details of bank accounts from which the disbursement of the funds were made by TSSGDCFL to the district authorities and further to the bank accounts of beneficiaries; payments made to the transport agencies along with details of vehicles used by the said transport agencies for transport of sheep in respective districts; district-wise details of the sheep feeds procured and subsequent supply of the sheep feeds to the beneficiaries; and others.

What Was The Scheme?

The sheep distribution scheme was launched by former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in 2017. Through it, sheep were distributed among traditional shepherd communities, the Kurumas and Yadavas, at a subsidised rate.

The Scam

The scam came to light four months ago when the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) found inflated invoices for transporting sheep. The full scale of the alleged scam was unearthed this month when the ACB found irregularities to the tune of Rs 700 crore in implementing the scheme. The investigative agency believes that the fraud was carried out through a network of brokers.

A few arrests have already been made in the case. Sabavath Ramchander, Chief Executive Officer of Telangana State Livestock Development Agency, and Gundamaraju Kalyan Kumar, former OSD to the then Minister for Animal Husbandry Talasani Srinivas Yadav, were arrested for colluding with private parties and neglecting their duties.

Other enquiries

Earlier this year, chief minister Revanth Reddy had ordered a probe into irregularities in distribution of fingerlings among fishermen in the state. This scheme was launched by the previous BRS-led government.

Besides this, the Justice L Narasimha Reddy Commission, which was appointed by the Telangana government to inquire into the alleged irregularities in the power sector during BRS rule, recently served notice on KCR, seeking explanation on decisions taken.