It has been more than eight months since the burning of crucial files related to land dealings at the sub-collector’s office in Madanapalle, Chittoor district.
The Crime Investigation Department (CID), which initially created a buzz by aggressively probing the incident and leaking details to the media, has since gone silent and slowed down its investigation.
What is even more shocking is that one of the key accused, Ballapuram Muni Tukaram, the personal assistant of former minister and YSR Congress Party MLA from Punganur, Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy, has been absconding for the past seven months.
The incident occurred on July 21 last year, and just two days later, Tukaram went underground.
When the police searched his Tirupati residence on July 27, they discovered a large number of forged and fraudulent documents, along with government land-related files. A case was subsequently registered at Alipiri Police Station in Tirupati.
However, instead of immediately arresting him, the police were allegedly negligent in their attempts to track him down. By late July last year, Muni Tukaram fled the country. It was only after a significant delay that CID officials issued lookout notices.
Investigations later revealed that he was residing in Missouri, USA, at the house of a relative named Pasupuleti Rammohan. Typically, individuals traveling to the US on a tourist or visitor visa are allowed a maximum stay of six months.
Despite Muni Tukaram staying there for seven months, no strong efforts have been made to bring him back to India. There are complaints that he was a direct witness and participant in the alleged illegal activities of Peddireddi.
The CID authorities have yet to answer several crucial questions, such as who helped Tukaram go into hiding, who instructed him to flee abroad, and who arranged his escape.
It also remains unclear who has been financing his stay in the U.S. for the past several months.
