Tainted HMDA chief Purushotham faces ACB case

HYDERABAD: Tainted Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) chief K. Purushotham Reddy is in for double trouble as the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered a case of criminal misconduct against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

A case has been booked against Reddy for amassing illegal wealth in the form of properties worth over `25 crore market value.

Sleuths of the ACB received a complaint from the vice-president, Business Operations of Prestige Estate projects, located at Banjara Hills, alleging that Purushotham Reddy – ( now suspended ) HMDA planning chief had telephoned him in August 2016, asking for a flat of 3,031 square feet plinth area for `1,500 per sq feet.

The company was selling the flats at Rs 5,850 per square feet and `20 per square feet extra for each floor after third level. It is alleged that the complainant was constrained to comply with the same as non-compliance would affect their future permissions and agreed to sell the flat at `2,091 per square feet.

“For this, Purushotham Reddy sent his brother-in-law Srinivas Reddy and entered into an agreement for acquiring the flat from Prestige projects – Kondapur (on the 13th floor of the 3rd tower ). As per the standard price of sale on that date of Prestige projects, the flat would have cost `2.02 crores but Prestige Group agreed to sell the flat at a revenue loss of `1.13 crore under compelling circumstances,” the complainant said.

The investigation revealed that Purushotham Reddy abused his official position and obtained pecuniary advantage for himself and his brother –in-law. In this transaction, B. Srinivas Reddy who is the tainted official’s benamidar had aided the commission of the offence.