CID raids Rajus find land documents

Udumula Sudhakar Reddy
22nd jan 2009
The CID has recovered 112 land documents and sale deeds covering hundreds of acres in the name of Mr Ramalinga Raju’s family and benami names during raids on SRSR Holdings at Jubilee Hills and SRSR Advisory Services Private Limited at Begumpet. The documents covered land in Nalgonda and Ranga Reddy districts.
CID sleuths on Wednesday night raided on the residence of relatives of Mr Ramalinga Raju in Rama Raja Nagar.
The SRSR group of firms is the holding company of the shares of the Rajus. There are seven companies in the name of SRSR, which is believed to stand for Satyanarayana Raju, Suryanarayana Raju. Mr Suryanarayana Raju is the brother of Mr Ramalinga Raju, and Mr Satyanarayana Raju, their relative.
The CID also found that SRSR Holdings Private Limited and SRSR Advisory Services were the part of promoter group of Maytas Infra Limited.
The raids were conducted based on the confessions by the Raju brothers and their aide, Mr Vadlamani Srinivas, former CFO of Satyam.
Following the raids the CID has filed a petition in the CID court seeking extension of police custody of Mr Ramalinga Raju and Mr Srinivas. The police dropped the name of Mr Rama Raju.
The trio has to be produced before the sixth additional chief metropolitan magistrate court on Thursday when their police custody ends. Officials of the HDFC Bank, Basheerbagh branch, have written to the CID saying that they have not issued a certificate to Satyam Computers regarding bank deposits. The purported HDFC Bank certificate was found in the file of Satyam auditors.
This is the first proof of the widely-held suspicion that Satyam Computers showed off forged fixed deposit certificates to claim assets that it did not have.
“Certain fixed deposit receipts and bank statements are stated to have been forged and fabricated. The HDFC letter confirms it,” said Mr Balaji Rao, CID DSP, in his petition to the sixth additional chief metropolitan magistrate court on Tuesday.
“We have written to other banks to establish the genuineness of deposit receipts and statements and are expecting reply in a day or two,” Mr Rao said. “The creation of bogus invoices, receipts and bank statements by the financial wing of the company is to be verified from the accused.” He said that Mr Ramalinga Raju and Mr Vadlamani Srinivas revealed details of “connivance and collusion of the auditors in fabricating the accounts,” Mr Rao said in the petition.
Mr Rao said documents had been seized during searches but more remained to be seized and scrutinised. The CID is also scrutinising the receipt of money from foreign sources to Mr Raju’s family and their associate companies.
“We have to find out the days on which shares were sold or pledged, and how the amounts were transferred,” a CID official said. “The dates on which the properties were bought have to be verified, as also where the money came from.” The CID is also examining whether the money was transferred through legal banking documents like cheques and drafts or through cash.
CID officials on Wednesday questioned Mr Gopalakrishna and Mr Srinivasa Rao of PricewaterhouseCoopers and let them off. Mr Rao stated in the petition that the medical check-up of the Rajus and breaks for lunch, tea and rest were eating into the time the police had for interrogation. He said, “I strongly believe that some personal computers of the accused have been secreted (away), hidden or destroyed to do away with evidence.”

Raju cleaned out bank account before fraud

Udumula Sudhakar Reddy
16th jan 2009
Satyam Computers’ ex-chairman, Mr B. Ramalinga Raju, withdrew all the money from his and his family’s personal accounts, even as it turned out that Satyam had no fixed deposits with ICICI Bank.
The non-existent fixed deposits were the foundation of Satyam’s muchhyped Rs 8,000-crore cash reserves.
As of Thursday, Mr Raju had Rs 6,184 in his account with HDFC Bank’s main branch at Lakdikapul. Two other accounts in his name hold no money.
According to sources in the CID, Mr Raju and his family members, Mr B. Rama Raju, Ms B. Radha Raju, Ms B. Nandini, and Ms B. Deepti hold 16 accounts in HDFC Bank. Only Ms Deepti holds a fixed deposit worth Rs 2.5 lakh.
One of the accounts has Rs 3,559, according to CID officials who are probing Mr Raju’s Rs 8,000 crore scam at Satyam. Some of the accounts actually show an overdraft. “We were shocked to see that their accounts were emptied,“ a CID officer told this newspaper. “We are tracing how the money moved in and out of the accounts. These details began coming out as the CID and the Serious Fraud Investigation Office experts began going through the bank accounts of Satyam and its promoters in various banks.
Police is also trying to track down another 40 accounts of Mr Raju and his family in different banks.
Sources said ICICI Bank had informed the police that the Satyam had no fixed deposits with them. The company has a current account and salary accounts of staff with the bank.
Mr Raju has claimed in his January 7 confession that he had shown fictitious bank deposits while cooking Satyam accounts. Police now suspects that the bank deposit certificates put up by Satyam were fake.
An investigating official said, “Satyam had produced some documents showing that it had bank deposits. We have to verify whether these certificates issued by banks are genuine or forged.” “If the bank certificates are forged, then bankers would have had no role,” the officer said. “But the auditors, PricewaterhouseCoopers, will be faulted as they did not crosscheck documents.” If the certificates are genuine, the auditors cannot be faulted, the official explained. Satyam could have deposited the money temporarily, collected certificates and then withdrawn the money. Even in that instance, the investigators will clear the bankers. The focus then will be on the Satyam promoters.
Investigators are also checking the tax deduction at source (TDS) certificates issued by banks on the interest earned on deposits.

AP migrants risk lives to get into UAE for jobs

Udumula Sudhakar Reddy
2nd March 2009
Migrant workers from Andhra Pradesh are braving imprisonment and bullets to sneak into Dubai and Sharjah illegally through the Oman-United Arab Emirates border. They slip in by hiding in trucks carrying vegetables and other goods by paying 1,000 dirhams to the drivers.
If the guards are on high alert, the truck drivers dump the migrants somewhere on the Oman side and ask them to cross through other points where there is lesser vigil. From here, they are picked up again.
“At the borders the guards sometimes open fire at the migrants if they refuse to surrender,” said Mr Pedolla Raju, 25, who spent almost three years illegally in Sharjah and Dubai. “Once we cross the border, we are safe.” Mr Raju, a native of Rameshwarapalli of Bhiknoor in Nizamabad, said that those who are caught face six months in prison and deportation to India. The lucky ones land up menial jobs in Dubai and Sharjah. He had stayed in UAE for three years illegally after his visit visa expired and did not return even during the general amnesty declared by the UAE government.
“I spent a day in Jumeriah jail,” he said. “Then I was banned entry to UAE and issued an emergency deportation certificate.” The officials while deporting take the iris scan and fingerprints of the illegal migrants to prevent their reentry officially. However, many of them fly to Muscat again and then take the land route to the UAE-Oman border where they slip in through checkpoints such as Al Wajajah (Hatta) Al Buraimi, Al Hilli and Al Mudeef.
Most of the illegal immigrants are from Nizamabad and Karimnagar in Telangana, Chittoor and Anantapur in Rayalseema and East and West Godavari in Coastal AP. Now many of them are trying to return since the recession has spoiled their chances of getting good work or pay. “Even if there is work there is no payment,” said Mr Raju, who returned home on February 25.
Mr Satish Reddy, another youth from Rameswarapalli who returned to the state, said his father was still working illegally in the UAE. “But he too will return if he gets no work,” said the youth.
“We are now paid less than 600 dirhams a month,” said Mr Abdullah, a native of Chittoor who works in the sanitation wing in Sharjah airport. “This is very insufficient.”

Pavan,Balaiah seek gun cover

Udumula Sudhakar Reddy

8th March 2009
Top action heroes Balakrishna and Pavan Kalyan have sought gunmen to protect them from their own fans. Both the actorsturned-politicians have mentioned “threat perception” from fans.
Balakrishna, who is preparing for the second leg of campaign for the Telugu Desam, has written to the home minister, Mr K. Jana Reddy, seeking security.
“I am a cine star and have tremendous fan following,” he wrote. “I am the son of NTR and am going for campaign in several parts of the state. I need personal security officers to guard me.” The minister forwarded the request to the police top brass, who in turn ordered an enquiry by the special branch on the threat perception of the actor.
“They are seeking security from their own fans,” said a senior police officer. “If the special branch and intelligence recommend their case, they may be given protection by the City Security Wing.”Police was rathercautious about the request for security filed by the actor-turned-politician Balakrishna in view of the shooting incidents that took place in his house.
The gun licences of Balakrishna and his wife Vasundhara were cancelled by the police after the incidents.
The Praja Rajyam has written to the Intelligence wing chief, Mr K. Aravinda Rao, seeking security for Pavan Kalyan.
“Chiranjeevi and Pavan have no security threat from any quarter at present,” said a source in the party.
“For Pavan we have sought security as his fans may push him. We haven’t mentioned any threat perception in the request. We were told police is checking on it.” Private security guards of Chiranjeevi and Pavan Kalyan had embarrassed the party by beating up fans before the media. Hence the decision to seek police security.

Iodine deficiency still plagues AP

Udumula Sudhakar Reddy
21st oct 2008
I October 21 st observed as Global Iodine Deficiency Disorder Day I
People of the state are still unable to get iodised cooking salt of proper standards that helps fight goitre, retardation in children and reproductive failure in females.
Health experts are sad that even on Global Iodine Deficiency Disorder Day, which falls on October 21, no thought is being given to this health need of the populace. A survey conducted by the Institute of Preventive Medicine in 2007-08 on salt samples collected from manufacturing units, distribution points and from households found that a large section of people were consuming low-iodine salt. Out of 7.3 lakh samples tested, 2.56 lakh have less than 15 ppm of Iodine which is below the standard prescribed. “This is due to lack of standards in preparing the salts and because of evaporation,” says Dr P. Sucharitha Murthy, director of IPM. The state government is supposed to conduct a five year term survey of goitre incidence. However the survey has not been conducted since 1996. “For the past three years there are no funds granted to the department for the programme,” said the Additional Director (Communicable Diseases), Dr Ram Swaroop. East Godavari tops in the number of Goitre cases in the State with 64.5 per cent prevalence.
In Srikakulam the prevalence is 12.6 percent.
“From the city too we get hypothyroidism cases regularly and treat them in Endocrinology and Medicine department,” says the Gandhi Hospital Superintendent, Dr B. Balaraju. “Around 40 cases are reported every month in Gandhi Hospital alone.” As part of global initiative to weed out the problem of iodine deficiency the Centre launched the National Goitre Control Programme in 1962 and it was later renamed as National Iodine Deficiency Disorder Control Programme.
The government has in fact banned non-iodised salt for direct human consumption in the entire country under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act from May 2006.
“In all, 263 districts out of 324 were found to be endemic for iodine deficiency disorder,” said the Joint Director (Industrial Health and Iodine Deficiency programme), Dr R. Satyavati.
The government also aided 15 companies to set up plants in private sector that produce 4.49 lakh tonnes of Iodised salt per year. This year under National Rural Health Mission around Rs 20 lakh was allocated for the programme. But the funds have not reached officials as yet.
“If the funds are released we will conduct Goitre survey in remaining ten districts,” said Dr Satyavati.
The tragic dimension of iodine deficiency is that it is so easily preventable, if authorities have the will.
“A person needs 150 micro gram of Iodine a day and it costs only Rs 6 per person every month,” says the Joint Director (health), Dr R. Satyavati. “By spend ing a meagre amount we can stave off the disorder.” The state government is taking up a year-long awareness campaign to urge the public to use iodised salt.
The primary sources of dietary iodine are saltwater fish and seaweed. Trace amounts can also be found in grains, bread, milk, eggs, and meat. Fruits contain little iodine, as do vegetables with the exception of spinach.
However, an abrupt increase in dietary iodine can also cause hyperthyroidism in some people.