I have info on Vivekananda Reddy murder, CBI ignoring me, alleges ex intel chief

AB Venkateswara Rao, who was the chief of Andhra Pradesh Intelligence Department during the brutal murder of former minister YS Vivekananda Reddy, has made a sensational claim that the CBI — which is investigating the murder case — has been constantly ignoring crucial information he wants to share with the team.

Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh): AB Venkateswara Rao, who was the chief of Andhra Pradesh Intelligence Department during the brutal murder of former minister YS Vivekananda Reddy, has made a sensational claim that the CBI — which is investigating the murder case — has been constantly ignoring crucial information he wants to share with the team.

Vivekananda Reddy — the younger brother of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy and paternal uncle of the present Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy — was brutally murdered on March 15, 2019 at his residence in Pulivendula, YSR Kadapa district.

In the letter, Rao has alleged that when he learnt that the CBI had not achieved a breakthrough in the case — even after a year since it took over the case — he spoke to investigating officer NM Singh over the phone and "offered to share whatever information he had in an effort to help the investigators solve the murder".

Rao, in the letter, has written that though Singh agreed to take the information, neither he nor his team made any effort thereafter. Rao said he called up Singh once again in July last year and that the latter "agreed to direct his team to gather the available information" from Rao but "there was no action so far".

"It is surprising that the CBI investigation team has not taken any interest when a DGP ranked police officer, that too one who worked as DG Intelligence, at the time of the murder, has been volunteering to provide information to help solve a serious murder case which remained unsolved for more than a year after the CBI taking it over," Rao letter reads.

In the letter, Rao has asked the CBI director to collect all information that he and his team had gathered around the time of the murder.

Soon after Reddy's death, it was publicised that the two-time MLA and two-time MP had died due to a heart attack. Later, it was said he suffered an accidental fall in the bathroom and breathed his last. During medical examinations, it was revealed that Reddy sustained multiple gashes on his head and body and it was clear that he was murdered using lethal weapons. Bloodstains on the floor at his residence had been cleared in an effort to erase the evidence.

Recalling one of the incidents that took him by surprise after the murder, Rao said a head constable and a home guard of the Intelligence Department were among the first ones to reach Reddy's house even before the local inspector and the DSP arrived. Rao said the family members, including Kadapa MP Avinash Reddy, did not allow them to enter the house. Earlier this year, Vivekananda Reddy’s daughter Sunitha had submitted a list of suspects in the murder. Avinash Reddy is one of the fourteen suspects.

The case was initially investigated by the state CID and later by a Special Investigation Team.

On March 11 last year, the High Court of Andhra Pradesh directed the state police to hand over the case to the CBI based on a writ petition filed by Reddy’s wife Soubhagyamma and daughter Sunitha.