Crime Hyderabad Top News

Pushpa movie producer named in Kria Healthcare hostile takeover case

Pushpa Movie Producer Naveen Yerneni

HYDERABAD: The Jubilee Hills police on Sunday, included the name of Pushpa movie producer Naveen Yerneni in the FIR involving former Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Radha Kishan Rao, who was recently arrested, for alleged involvement in the hostile takeover of Kria Healthcare.

According to the Jubilee Hills Police Station House Officer (SHO) K. Venkateshwar Reddy, Naveen Yerneni is among the accused in the forcible transfer of shares of Kria Healthcare, valued at ₹100 crores, from its founder Chennupati Venu Madhav to four part-time directors of the firm.

Ex-DCP Radha Kishan Rao, who is already under arrest in connection with an alleged phone tapping case, is the prime accused in this case. It is alleged that he aided in the takeover by kidnapping Venu Madhav. According to the complaint filed by Venu Madhav on April 8, he was kidnapped on November 22, 2018, and forced at gunpoint to sign the agreement, which he did to save his life. He alleges that Radha Kishan Rao was promised hefty amounts by the four part-time directors for executing this plan.

Explaining why he is registering the complaint 6 years after the kidnap, Venu Madhav added in his complaint that he saw Radha Kishan’s arrest in the alleged phone tapping case on television and wanted to report this incident as he feels he will be safe doing so now.

The First Information Report issued by Jubilee Hills Police has also named several individuals, including CI Gattu Mallu, SI Mallikarjun, and business partners of Venu Madhav, along with the recent addition of Naveen Yerneni among the accused. The investigation into this case is ongoing, and further details are awaited.

Naveen Yerneni co-founded Mythri Movie Makers in 2015, which quickly rose to prominence after producing the blockbuster ‘Srimanthudu’. Subsequently, his production house delivered other hit movies like ‘Janatha Garage’, ‘Rangasthalam’, and the production house’s success continued with ‘Pushpa: The Rise’ in 2020, which became a super hit across the country. However, it may be recalled that Mythri Movie Makers came under scrutiny from the Income Tax department in April 2023.