Hyderabad: A ₹1.77 crore scam linked to the Telangana Secretariat resurfaced after reports claimed fraudsters used fake documents with IT Minister D Sridhar Babu’s letterhead to promise IT project approvals.
Six people allegedly posed as staff from the minister’s peshi and collected large sums by showing forged letters. They claimed they could get official clearances in return.
Sridhar Babu’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD) responded on Monday evening. He denied any connection between the scam and the minister’s office. He also clarified that the fraud took place nearly four months ago, not recently.
“Social media reports saying ₹1.77 crore was collected in the name of the IT Minister’s peshi are false,” he stated. “The incident occurred months ago. I filed an FIR on June 3 at Saifabad Police Station, as directed by the Minister.”
The OSD said he personally lodged the complaint and urged police to act against the culprits. Saifabad police identified six suspects and arrested them. All six are now in jail.
Due to the case’s gravity, investigators shifted it from Saifabad PS to Hyderabad Central Crime Station. The OSD stressed that neither the minister’s office nor any staff were involved.