ACB gets custody of two accused in Rs 700 crore sheep scam

Hyderabad: Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials have granted three-day remand to two accused arrested on May 31 in connection with the Rs 700-crore sheep scam.

The accused, Sabavath Ramchander, director general of Telangana State Livestock Development Agency, and Gundamaraju Kalyan Kumar, officer on special duty of former animal husbandry minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav, were arrested for procedural violations in procurement of sheep and involvement of middlemen in the process.

The interrogations of the accused began on Monday. They were escorted from Chanchalguda Jail to the Banjara Hills office for interrogation. ACB’s detention will end on Wednesday.

The two officials are accused of instructing all district directors of the Department of Animal Husbandry to facilitate misappropriation of government funds by private individuals. According to ACB, Ramchander was the managing director of Telangana State Sheep and Goat Development Cooperative Federation Limited when the alleged misappropriation occurred.

The investigation aims to uncover the extent of involvement and mechanisms used to divert government funds, shedding light on one of the largest frauds in recent years.