The sensational Andhra Pradesh state skill development scam, which led to the arrest of Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu during the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy regime in September last year, has not lost its steam even after Jagan lost power to Naidu in the last elections.
On Tuesday, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Hyderabad Zonal Office, issued orders provisionally attaching immovable and movable properties amounting to Rs 23.54 crore in connection with the misuse of funds in the Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) Siemens project.
The ED's Hyderabad Zonal Office attached these properties under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
According to the ED, the project was intended to promote skill development and entrepreneurship in Andhra Pradesh.
The ED initiated its investigation based on an FIR filed by the Andhra Pradesh CID against Designtech Systems Private Limited (DTSPL) and others, accusing them of cheating the Andhra Pradesh government by diverting and siphoning off government funds invested in the Siemens project for unrelated purposes.
The ED's investigation revealed that Vikas Vinayak Khanvelkar, Managing Director of DTSPL, Soumyadri Sekhar Bose alias Suman Bose (former Managing Director of Siemens Industry Software India Pvt. Ltd.), and their close associates, Mukul Chandra Agarwal and Suresh Goyal, diverted government funds using shell and defunct entities.
Through multi-layered transactions, they siphoned off the funds by generating bogus invoices under the guise of supplying materials and services. The services of entry providers were utilised to divert funds, for which commissions were paid to them.
“The proceeds of crime, in the possession of the accused and the entry providers, were identified. Various movable properties, including bank balances and shares, as well as immovable properties, such as residential properties in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, and Pune, have been traced and attached," the ED stated.
Previously, the ED had attached fixed deposits worth Rs 31.20 crore belonging to DTSPL, which was confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority (PMLA).
The ED also arrested Vikas Vinayak Khanvelkar, Suman Bose, Mukul Chandra Agarwal, and Suresh Goyal, and filed a prosecution complaint before a Special Court (PMLA) in Visakhapatnam. The court has taken cognisance of the matter.
