The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has confirmed that Balaji Kumar Yadav and Naveen Krishna were responsible for transporting illicit liquor money to fund YSRCP candidates during elections. They reportedly transferred ₹8 to ₹9 crore per trip, totalling between ₹200 to ₹250 crore. Both were arrested and presented in court. According to the remand report, they acted under direct orders from Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy.
According to SIT findings, large amounts of liquor-related bribe money were spent by YSRCP candidates in various constituencies during the 2024 general elections. Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy is alleged to have coordinated and overseen the entire operation. Balaji and Naveen, along with other close aides and staff, played key roles in moving the money from Hyderabad and Tadepalli to Chittoor and Prakasam districts. These two were arrested in Madhya Pradesh and presented before the ACB Court in Vijayawada on Wednesday. Details of their involvement and conspiracy were submitted in the remand report.
Balaji, though an employee of APSPDCL, was reportedly always seen with Chevireddy and Naveen Krishna was his PA. Others like his gunman Giridhar, friend Venkatesh Naidu, and more were also involved. Chevireddy, leveraging YSRCP’s power, ensured no disruption in money transport, even reassuring staff like Giridhar. Besides these, Chevireddy’s son Mohith Reddy, then TUDA Chairman, allowed the use of his official vehicle (AP 39 BV 3259) and TUDA driver Rama Raju for transporting cash. This team regularly travelled to Hyderabad and Tadepalli to bring back money.
Cash was collected from Landmark Apartments near Tadepalli Palace, where several residents and security staff testified seeing bundles of cash being loaded into TUDA vehicles. A man named Pranoy Prakash was identified as the cash handler. Balaji and Naveen reportedly collected ₹8–9 crore from him in each round and transported it to Tirupati. A lorry (AP 03 TA 4566) was also used extensively to transport the cash, alongside TUDA vehicles.
SIT identified multiple dates on which cash was moved:
March 2024: 1, 2, 24, 25, 26, April 2024: 1, 2, 27, 28 and in May 2024: 6, 7, 8
SIT issued notices on June 21 and 27 to Balaji and Naveen, but both failed to appear. SIT stated they were deliberately obstructing the investigation and attempting to suppress facts. The remand report mentions that both individuals had full knowledge of how the liquor kickbacks were collected, stored, transported, and distributed, and hence must be further interrogated.
