Hyderabad-based officer Katta Purushottam Reddy went to jail in 2009 for corruption
A government official who went to jail in 2009 for corruption was raided once again in Telangana after reports that he spent Rs 40 lakh just on liquor for his daughter's wedding. Katta Purushottam Reddy, 54, had been reinstated after a jail stint five years ago and is a planning director with the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority. He is missing. The raid team has sent a letter to the Bureau of Immigration for a lookout notice to stop him if he tries to leave the country, officials said. He was raided on February 2.
Reddy was back on the radar of investigative agencies after photos of the diamond jewellery worn by his daughter - including waistbands and earrings - were widely shared on social media.
The wedding card offered a glimpse of an obscenely lavish affair.
The invitations referred to "Reddy's theatre" for the wedding "sangeet" on November 16. The "minimum tax", the invite said, was "four pegs" and surcharge was on the house. "Enjoy the show, get drunk and go home safe," guests were advised.
When anti-corruption branch officials questioned him about the extravagance on display, he claimed that the bling was all borrowed.
Raids in the last couple of weeks have revealed that even after his imprisonment in 2009, he made a fortune. Unconfirmed reports say he may have wealth and assets worth as much as Rs 300 crore.
The official has asked the Hyderabad high court for protection from arrest.
In 2009, he was a city planner when he was arrested for illegal wealth far beyond his known sources of income. After getting bail, he somehow managed, allegedly through his connections, to have the charges against him dropped. In 2012, he was back in the government.
Reports suggest he has been trying to use his clout to stay one step ahead of agencies on his trail.