The YSRCP government’s spree of arrests continued on Wednesday. This time, the government had arrested CPI and Jana Sena leaders in connection with the AgriGold scam.
On Wednesday, the Andhra Pradesh police had arrested CPI state assistant secretary and AgriGold Customers and Agents Welfare Association honorary president Muppalla Nageswara Rao. He was arrested when he along with other victims of AgriGold scam took out a ‘Chalo Assembly’ rally in protest against allotting a measly Rs 200 crore in the Budget to do justice to the AgriGold customers. The YSRCP had allotted a total of Rs 1,150 crore for clearing the dues to be paid to the depositors by the Agrigold.
Muppalla Nageswara Rao, CPI district secretary Jangala Ajay Kumar, city secretary Kota Malyadri and several CPI leaders were taken into preventive custody at Mangalagiri, Guntur and Arundelpet police stations after they tried to take a procession to the Assembly demanding justice to the Agrigold Chit Fund scam victims. Jana Sena MP Boyabina Srinivas Yadav was also kept under house arrest.
The AgriGold agents, depositors and staff under the banner AgriGold Agents and Customers Welfare Association, have been agitating at several places in the State seeking justice. They were even arrested numerous times by the police. Several victims of Agrigold scam had committed suicide after the scandal broke out.
Agrigold was set up in 1995. The company had collected more than Rs 6,000 crore from lakhs of depositors promising high returns, but failed to repay the money after maturity of deposits.
The government had ordered a CID probe into the Agrigold scam following which cases were registered on the prime accused including the company’s chairman Venkata Rama Rao, MD Avva Venkata Seshu Narayana Rao, vice-president Prasad, directors Ramachandra Rao and PLL Khan. The government had issued four GOs with the list of properties attached. The High Court had also set up a panel.