Andhra Pradesh CID files FIR against former CM Chandrababu Naidu, others for 'cheating, criminal conspiracy'

The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Andhra Pradesh has registered an FIR against the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief based on a complaint filed by the ruling YSR Congress MLA A Ramakrishna Reddy.

File photo (Credits: IANS)

New Delhi: The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Andhra Pradesh has booked former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for cheating and criminal conspiracy.

The CID, based on a complaint filed by the ruling YSR Congress MLA A Ramakrishna Reddy, registered an FIR on May 9 against the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief, former minister P Narayana and several businessmen, alleging certain "illegal and corrupt activities between 2014 and 2019" with regard to designing of the master plan for AP capital city.

Reddy, who previously filed similar complaints in land-pooling issues, alleged in his fresh complaint filed on April 27 that Chandrababu and others caused "wrongful loss to the general public and the public exchequer thus amounting to cheating" in the designing of the master plan and alignment of the inner ring road and connected arterial roads.

In view of the complaint, the CID was said to have conducted a preliminary inquiry and submitted the report on May 6, based on which the CID Additional Director General ordered the registration of an FIR against Chandrababu and others. 

The former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and others were charged under sections 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), etc. of IPC, and also under different sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Telugu Desam Party national general secretary and former CM Chandrababu Naidu's son Nara Lokesh condemned the arrest of former minister and TDP senior leader P. Narayana saying it is part of endless political vendetta against the opposition leaders in the state.

Meanwhile, P Narayana has been arrested by Andhra Pradesh police. The senior TDP leader has been held in connection with a question paper leak case.

Andhra Pradesh police had arrested headmasters and teachers of a few schools including a school run by the Narayana group in connection with the paper leak last week. Narayana is the chairman of the Narayana Group of Institutions.