YCP Leader Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy Arrested, What Happened?

Prominent YSRCP leader Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) at Bengaluru International Airport while allegedly attempting to flee the country. Chevireddy is the accused no. 38 in the sensational Andhra Pradesh liquor scam during the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy reign. Chevireddy was accompanied by his benami associate, Venkatesh Naidu (34), at the time of his arrest.

Chevireddy was on the SIT lookout, and in a dramatic turn of events, he and Venkatesh Naidu were arrested moments before they could board their flight to Sri Lanka. According to the SIT investigation, a huge sum of unaccounted money from illicit liquor dealings was used by Chevireddy and YSRCP during the election campaigns in 2024. A seizure of Rs 8 crore by the Election Commission before it reached a YSRCP candidate in Prakasam district led to a trail of funds and Chevireddy’s involvement in the scam.

The SIT investigation further unveiled a well-organized syndicate that also involved several government employees and the leaders’ benamis. An outsourced employee at the AP Beverages Corporation named Balaji Yadav was added as the 35th accused. Chevireddy’s son and YSRCP’s Chandragiri contestant Mohith Reddy (A39), personal assistant Naveen (A36), and driver Harish (A37) were also named in the accused list for allegedly playing pivotal roles in mobilizing cash and managing logistics for the election funding strategy masterminded by Chevireddy.

As per the SIT findings, Chevireddy had access to Rs 285 crore campaign funds from Raj Kasireddy, the A1 in the liquor scam, and was entrusted with the YSRCP election affairs in 6 districts. Chevireddy distributed the funds among YSRCP election candidates across the state. As per SIT allegations, Chevireddy used these funds for his own campaign in Ongole and also funded his son’s election campaign in Chandragiri by distributing liquor and cash to voters.

With Chevireddy’s arrest, the SIT has achieved a significant breakthrough in the scam, which has rocked the political landscape in the state. Chevireddy will be presented before the ACB court in Vijayawada on Wednesday. The SIT will seek his custody for further investigation to uncover financial and political nexus. The liquor scam is considered one of the largest election-related corruption cases in Andhra Pradesh’s history.