ED quizzes BRS Patancheru MLA Gudem Mahipal Reddy
Hyderabad: BRS Patancheru MLA Gudem Mahipal Reddy statement recorded by the Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday. The premier investigation agency which is probing the illegal mining scam and allegedly amassed around Rs. 300 Crore by sale of illegally excavated material. The ED is looking into money laundering allegations of the scam.
After the completion of the statement recording Gudem Mahipal reddy said, “They have recorded my statement” and left the ED office.
Earlier, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), conducted raids at ten locations in and around Hyderabad in a money laundering case being investigated against M/s Santhosh Sand and Granite Supply, Patancheru under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. Searches were conducted at the premises of the proprietor of the firm Gudem Madhusudan Reddy, BRS MLA Gudem Mahipal Reddy and others.
Search operations led to the seizure of unaccounted cash of Rs.19 Lakh along with a large number of property documents in the names of unrelated persons who are suspected to be benamis of accused persons. Mobile phones containing evidence related to cash dealings were also seized. Bank locker keys were also recovered and examination of the bank lockers is expected to reveal further incriminating evidence. The Enforcement Directorate officially reportedly questioned Mahipal Reddy about the property documents and trial of proceeds of crime in the form of cash.
Investigation revealed that the accused firm was found to have excavated and transported excess quantity of 11,98,743 CBM of building stone and road metal within the quarry lease permitted area and 10,11,672 CBM of material beyond the permitted area (on encroached Government land admeasuring 4.37 Ha). In the process, the accused illegally amassed around Rs. 300 Crore by sale of illegally excavated material and also evaded royalty amount of Rs. 39.08 Crore due to the Government.
Further probe revealed that sale proceeds of illegally excavated material were deliberately not reported in banking transactions and books of accounts and that the transactions were suspected to have been carried out in cash. ED investigation revealed that proceeds of crime in the form of cash were laundered by the accused and were invested in real estate and other activities, said ED in an official statement. Further investigation is under progress.
Customer demands action after receiving spoiled samosas from Burfi Ghar
Hyderabad: A customer in Hyderabad reported a food safety violation after receiving spoiled samosas in a Zomato order from Burfi Ghar, a restaurant in Kondapur.
Abhishek Sengupta (@abhi_shek707) took to the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to bring the issue to the attention of relevant authorities.
Sengupta tagged the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Commissionerate of Food Safety (CFS), Telangana, urging them to take action against Burfi Ghar, a restaurant located in Kondapur. “This shop, #burfighar, needs to be shut down,” Sengupta wrote. “I ordered samosa through @zomato, and they have sent spoilt food. On calling them, they’re only willing to send fresh samosas. Their quality has gone down the drain. Ban this FBO. #zomato #ghmc #FoodSafety.”
This shop, #burfighar needs to be shut down. Ordered samosa through @zomato and they have sent spoilt food. On calling them, they’re willing to send fresh samosas. Their quality has gone down the drains. Ban this FBO. #zomato #ghmc #FoodSafety pic.twitter.com/LlOKGBt0xj
— abhishek sengupta (@abhi_shek707) July 3, 2024
Sengupta urged Zomato, the food delivery platform, to take food safety seriously and remove such restaurants from their listings.
In a recent incident, a customer discovered a deep-fried plastic cover in their chicken biryani ordered from Mehfil Restaurant’s Manikonda branch in a series of food safety violations. This incident follows a recent complaint wherein another customer found a safety pin in a biryani from the same Manikonda Mehfil outlet.
Taking to ‘X,’ formerly known as Twitter, Zelani S (@Zelani_A) expressed dismay, saying, “Yesterday I ordered Chicken Biryani from Mehfil and found a deep-fried plastic cover (completely fried plastic bag) in it. Unfortunately, it was at the bottom of the pack, so I had already eaten half before realizing.” @cfs_telangana was tagged in the tweet, highlighting this incident and the previous complaint about the safety pin found in food from the Manikonda Mehfil outlet.
Another customer, @AnirudhActor, reported finding a safety pin in his biryani from Mehfil Restaurant in Manikonda on June 29th. This incident comes shortly after bugs were discovered in biryani served at Mehfil’s Kukatpally branch.
Hyderabad City Police replied to the post of @AnirudhActor, stating, “Please WhatsApp Cyberabad police at 8712663061, as the mentioned location falls under their jurisdiction. @GHMCOnline.”
In a separate incident, a customer named Sai Teja warned against ordering from Mehfil’s Kukatpally branch after finding bugs in the chicken pieces. He also shared his dissatisfaction with his refund experience via Swiggy.
Meanwhile, another customer found a strand of hair in their chutney at Chutneys in AS Rao Nagar. Srikhande Umesh Kumar, Founder and President of Know Your Rights NGO, shared the unpleasant experience on social media, mentioning that while the manager acknowledged the issue and replaced the dish, it remained a negative experience.
In response to Srikhande’s complaint, authorities swiftly fined Chutneys Rs. 5,000. The Commissioner of Food Safety in Telangana took action, prompting Srikhande to appreciate their swift response while raising concerns about the TDS water level served at the restaurant.
