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Time of India
01-08-2025
- Time of India
ED probe unravels sheep scam-illegal betting app link
Hyderabad: In a twist to the unfolding sheep rearing development scheme (SRDS) scam, Enforcement Directorate has found fresh evidence linking the massive financial fraud to an illegal online betting application. During recent searches, ED officials seized documents and material suggesting that govt funds meant for poor farmers were laundered through over 200 suspected mule or dummy accounts tied to the betting network. The seizure, made from one of the premises that was searched by the ED, included blank chequebooks, passbooks, debit cards, 31 used mobile phones, and more than 20 SIM cards, all suspected to have been used in facilitating these illegal activities. The ED carried out searches on July 30 at eight locations in Hyderabad under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The probe focuses on large-scale misappropriation of public funds allocated under the SRDS. Investigators estimate the total scam could be of as high as Rs 1,000 crore. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad According to the ED, substantial payments were made to multiple individuals and entities claiming to supply sheep to beneficiaries. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like These Are The Most Beautiful Women In The World Undo However, most of these recipients were never involved in the sheep business before the scheme began and, in fact, never delivered any sheep at all. Funds were fraudulently diverted to bogus vendors, with no real transactions taking place. Searches were conducted at the residence of G Kalyan Kumar, OSD to former animal husbandry minister Talasani Srinivasa Yadav, as well as several middlemen and alleged beneficiaries. An FIR by the Anti Corruption Bureau accused Kalyan of breaking into the department's office and taking away official records after the change of govt. Another FIR, lodged by a sheep merchant, alleged that Rs 2.1 crore owed for supplied sheep units was siphoned off by departmental assistant directors and diverted to unrelated accounts. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit report for the year ending March 2021 flagged grave irregularities, including lack of beneficiary-wise records, fake transportation invoices, duplicate tags issued for sheep units, disbursements to dead or non-existent individuals and use of non-transport vehicles for alleged transportation. The audit, which covered seven of Telangana's 33 districts, pegged the loss at Rs 253 crore. Scaled to all districts, the total loss could surpass ₹1,000 crore, sources said. The ED investigation not only corroborates the CAG's findings but also uncovered evidence of 'recycled' sheep units—where the same livestock was shown as delivered multiple times to fraudulently claim govt payments.
NDTV
01-08-2025
- NDTV
Mule Accounts, Kickbacks: Raids Find Rs 1,000-Crore Trail Behind Cattle Scheme
Illegal payments and kickbacks to government officials were part of the Rs 1,000 crore money trail uncovered following raids by the Enforcement Directorate in Hyderabad in connection with the Telangana Sheep Rearing Development Scheme (SRDS). The raids earlier this week led to the recovery of incriminating material that revealed a trail of financial irregularities and illegal activities. A key finding of the searches was the seizure of documents pertaining to over 200 suspected dummy or "mule" bank accounts. These accounts, which included blank cheque books, passbooks and debit cards, are believed to be linked to an illegal online betting application. Additionally, 31 used mobile phones and more than 20 SIM cards, suspected of being used in these illicit operations, were also recovered. The investigation has revealed that government funds intended for the SRDS were illegally diverted to the bank accounts of bogus vendors. ED's probe further substantiated that these recipients were not involved in the sheep business and that no actual sale or purchase of sheep was ever conducted by them. This latest development is part of an ongoing investigation initiated by the ED on the basis of FIRs registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Hyderabad. One FIR alleged that G Kalyan Kumar, the Officer on Special Duty to the then Animal Husbandry Minister Thalasani Srinivasa Yadav, had removed official records from a department office after a new government was formed. Another complaint from a sheep merchant alleged that Rs 2.1 crore owed to them for supplying sheep units was siphoned off by departmental officials. The ED's investigation has also corroborated the findings of a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report for the period ending March 2021. The audit, which was limited to just seven of the state's 33 districts, had already flagged numerous irregularities, including payments made against fake invoices, sheep units allotted to decad or non-existent persons, and the non-maintenance of beneficiary details. The CAG report estimated a loss of Rs 253.93 crore in these seven districts, leading the ED to project a potential total loss exceeding Rs 1,000 crore across the entire state.
Time of India
01-08-2025
- Time of India
ED links Rs 1,000 crore sheep scam to illegal betting app; 200 dummy accounts, 31 phones seized
HYDERABAD: In a recent finding, ED searches have uncovered links between the sheep scam and an illegal online betting app. The ED seized documents related to numerous bank accounts, including blank cheque books, passbooks, and debit cards associated with over 200 suspected dummy or mule accounts linked to an illegal online betting application. These were recovered from one of the premises. Searches also led to the seizure of 31 used mobile phones and over 20 SIM cards, which are suspected to have been used in operating the illegal activities. On 30 July, the ED conducted searches at eight locations in Hyderabad under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, in connection with financial irregularities in the implementation of the Sheep Scheme in Telangana. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad The ED investigation revealed that substantial funds were transferred to the bank accounts of several individuals and entities as payments for the supply of sheep under the Sheep Rearing Development Scheme (SRDS). The ED estimated the scam to be worth around Rs1,000 crore. The investigation found that, before the launch of SRDS, these beneficiaries were not involved in the sale or supply of sheep. It was also found that they never made any such transactions. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Celebrity Mugshot Hall Of Shame As Stars Isolated in Jail Instead Of Luxury Mansions Undo The ED concluded that government funds were illegally diverted to the bank accounts of bogus vendors. Searches were conducted at the premises of G Kalyan Kumar (OSD to the then Animal Husbandry Minister Thalasani Srinivasa Yadav), along with certain beneficiaries and middlemen identified during the investigation. In one FIR by the ACB, it was alleged that after the new government was formed in the state, the OSD to the former minister removed some records from the department office by breaking in. Another FIR was filed by a sheep merchant, who alleged that Rs 2.1 crore due to them for supplying sheep units was siphoned off by departmental Assistant Directors, who diverted the amount to unrelated accounts. In addition, the CAG's audit report for the period ending March 2021 revealed several irregularities in the implementation of the SRDS scheme, such as: No record of beneficiary-wise details Improper maintenance of transport-related invoices and payments Payments made against invoices with fake or non-transport vehicle registration numbers Duplicate tags allotted to sheep units Sheep units allotted to dead or non-existent persons The CAG audit covered only 7 out of 33 districts in Telangana and estimated the loss at Rs 253 crore. On a proportionate basis, the loss across the entire state could exceed Rs 1,000 crore. The ED's investigation also confirmed the audit findings, showing that payments were made to fictitious vendors and that there was evidence of recycling sheep units to fraudulently claim disbursements from government funds without actual supply. The search operations led to the recovery and seizure of incriminating material showing illegal payments in the form of kickbacks to various government officials and other suspects.
Indian Express
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Behind ED raids in Andhra Pradesh, KCR's ambitious scheme and sheep that went around in circles
Bharat Rashtra Samiti's supremo and former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's famous sheep distribution scheme is mired in an alleged scam after the Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday conducted searches at the residence and office of G Kalyan Kumar, the former Officer on Special Duty to former BRS Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav, and other locations, in connection with the alleged sheep scam during the BRS rule. In October 2017, some officials involved in procuring and distributing sheep to eligible beneficiaries involved in sheep rearing found that some of the animals they had distributed were back in the market for sale. Officials found that some of the beneficiaries sold them to sheep rearers in neighbouring states, who were reselling the same sheep back to the Telangana government. Officials found hundreds of sheep in markets in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, which they had purchased earlier and tagged using markings. The markings were partially removed, but officials could make out that these were the same sheep. Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials claim the BRS regime did not adequately investigate this. On December 26, 2023, after the Congress came to power and 19 days after A Revanth Reddy took over as CM, an FIR was registered at Gachibowli police station in Cyberabad in relation to the scheme. The complainant, Sanneboine Yedukondalu, a sheep trader from Palnadu district in Andhra Pradesh, claimed that the owner of a Hyderabad-based livestock company and two assistant directors from the state animal husbandry department approached him to supply animals for the Sheep Distribution Scheme. He stated that between August 13 and 23, 2023, he and 17 other traders delivered 133 units, with each unit comprising 20 sheep and a ram, at Vellela in Prakasam district. They submitted their bank details and Aadhaar cards to the officials, expecting payment. But the money was never credited. When they approached the Joint Director of the Animal Husbandry Department, they were allegedly informed that the money was transferred, but to different bank accounts. Gachibowli Police Station transferred the case to ACB, which registered an FIR based on a CAG audit report of March 2021 that flagged 'irregularities' in the implementation of the scheme. The alleged irregularities included non-maintenance of beneficiary details, improper record of invoices, and duplicate tags allotted to sheep units. The ACB also took note of allegations that sheep units were allotted to families that did not exist, or were allotted in the name of a deceased head of a family. Kalyan Kumar and Ramchander Naik, former CEO of Animal Development Corporation and former MD of the State Sheep and Goat Development Association; D Ravi Kumar and M Aditya Keshav Sai, two former assistant directors from the state animal husbandry department; and 11 others have been arrested in this case. The ACB eventually passed on the investigation information to the ED, saying there was money laundering involved. Based on the CAG report that approximately Rs 253 crore was allegedly misappropriated and the money laundering spanned seven districts of Telangana, the ED determined that the alleged scam involved total money laundering to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore, which prompted its own investigation, resulting in Wednesday's raids across Hyderabad. In a separate case registered at Nampally Police Station in Hyderabad, former OSD Kalyan and three aides were accused of breaking into the Animal Husbandry Department on December 10, three days after the Congress government came to power, and destroying documents, damaging computer hard drives, and deleting CCTV data. On Wednesday, at least eight locations in the city related to the beneficiaries and alleged middlemen involved in the case were raided by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). KCR had launched the sheep distribution scheme in June 2017, aiming to provide for over 7.30 lakh shepherd families, belonging to Yadava and Kurma communities in the state, to revive and encourage caste-based occupation and livelihood. The total budget for this scheme during the BRS regime was approximately Rs 12,000 crore in two phases, and over 1.5 crore sheep were distributed. The animals were procured from AP, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. While the scheme was running successfully, with the beneficiaries able to increase their income, alleged irregularities crept in. As per the ACB, some sheep trading agents and government officials involved in the scheme allegedly contacted the beneficiaries with offers to purchase the sheep. Many beneficiaries who were already in alternative professions and did not know how to tend to their flock sold the sheep to make easy money. The agents took back the sheep to the same markets in the neighbouring states from where the Telangana government had earlier purchased and resold them to the government, often with the knowledge of the officials of the Animal Husbandry Department and the State Sheep and Goat Development Association, it is alleged.
New Indian Express
31-07-2025
- New Indian Express
Talasani OSD questioned in Rs 700 crore sheep scam
HYDERABAD: Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials on Wednesday carried out searches at eight locations in connection with the alleged Rs 700 crore sheep distribution scam, first flagged by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). The ED questioned G Kalyan Kumar, who was then Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to former animal husbandry minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav, and is named as Accused No. 10 (A-10) in the ACB's case. Eight ED teams comprising around 50 officials, with Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) security, searched the residences and offices of key individuals, including Kalyan Kumar and Telangana State Sheep and Goat Development Cooperative Federation (TSSGDCF) CEO Sabavath Ramchander. Several documents were seized, and large sums of unaccounted cash were reportedly found during the raids. Later in the day, Kalyan Kumar was summoned to the ED office, where his statement was recorded. Sources said he was questioned regarding financial allocations made under the sheep distribution scheme during the BRS regime.
