Senior IPS officer Kolli Raghuram Reddy, who is heading the special investigation team (SIT) against the alleged scams in Amaravati capital city involving Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu, has been suddenly shifted to Assam as election observer.
Orders to this effect were issued by the Election Commission of India on Monday evening, within hours of the reports of his office people setting fire to the documents pertaining to Amaravati Inner Ring Road scam involving Heritage Foods surfaced on social media.
Even as the TDP leaders made a hue and cry and submitted representation to the Election Commission seeking a comprehensive probe into the documents’ burning episode, Raghuram Reddy received the transfer orders.
He was asked to the election commission authorities in Guwahati immediately and operate from there till the elections are over.
Raghuram Reddy is considered to be eyes and ears of Jagan. He was on central deputation during the Naidu regime and was brought back to Andhra Pradesh cadre in 2020, within months of Jagan coming to power.
He has been heading the SIT which is probing various scams involving Naidu, particularly Amaravati land scams, skill development corporation scam, Amaravati inner ring road scam etc, though it was the Crime Investigation Department which had registered these cases.
It was Raghuram Reddy who arrested Naidu at Nandyal in September 2023, in connection with the AP skill development scam and brought him to Vijayawada court which remanded him to judicial custody in Rajahmundry central jail.
Apart from the SIT, Raghuram Reddy is also heading the Vigilance and Enforcement department and was appointed as director general of drug control administration.
The TDP has been virtually hounding him for being the right hand of Jagan in various cases.