The Anti-corruption Bureau (ACB) conducted raids at the property of former Andhra Pradesh minister and YSRCP leader Jogi Ramesh and arrested his son Jogi Rajiv in connection with Agrigold land scam in which the latter is the prime accused.
Agrigold was a ponzi scheme spread over eight states where the depositors were mostly poor and it went bust in 2014. Some of the land and property of the Agrigold were illegally sold off by its directors. The former housing minister is accused of having exploited his position to acquire 2300 square yards of land belonging to Agrigold in Ambapuram which were held by CID.
He is said to have subdivided the land in plots and then sold it off to earn massive profit. There are also allegations that he threatened officials to get the registrations for such plots done illegally. Last month Jogi Ramesh had voiced concerns that he may face arrest in connection with Agrigold land or the attack on TDP office, during the previous regime.
A team of 15 ACB officials reached the residence of Jogi Ramesh at Ibrahimpatnam near Vijayawada at about 5:15 am. The team examined documents and records related to the land scam. Other family members of the former ministers too are involved in the scam, according to sources.
Following the arrest of his son Jogi Ramesh claimed his son who studied in the US and worked at a multinational company was innocent. Dismissing the allegations he said it was political vendetta by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his son and minister Nara Lokesh.
He wondered whether it was possible to sell off land held by CID. “ If the state government proves my family guilty I will commit suicide in Vijayawada. It is not correct on the part of the government to file false cases against my son who returned from abroad,” said Ramesh.