The retired Sub-Registrar Lala Balanagara Dharam Singh, who is now in ACB custody, has admitted that during the YCP regime he had illegally registered Rs 700 crore worth properties as Ibrahimpatnam Sub- Registrar due to pressures from YCP leaders.
He reportedly said that YSRCP leaders had put extreme pressure on him for illegal registrations, saying that Chandrababu Naidu was put in jail and now what about you? Dharma Singh reportedly replied that the value of the lands registered in Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry and other areas is around Rs. 109 crores according to the government’s value, and now the market value of lands in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam is up to Rs. 700 crores.
When the officials said that they could not believe it without evidence, it is learnt that Singh said that he would provide evidence. The ACB officials also questioned the audio of the conversation with Cheemakurthi Srikanth and the affair of actress Vanam Divya (Rithu Chaudhary), who is said to be Srikanth’s second wife and whose name most of the lands were registered.
Vijayawada ACB officials registered a case of disproportionate assets against Singh in October 2023. Singh absconded after being informed (it is reported that a YSRCP MLC helped him in this).
ACB officials conducted searches and seized property documents. After the change of government in the state, as part of the recent review of old cases, ACB DG Atul Singh questioned the officials as to why the accused Singh has not been arrested so far in the case registered in 2023?
They replied that they did not pay attention to him as Singh had retired in June last year. After he ordered them arrested immediately, the Central Investigative Unit officials who stepped into the field arrested Dharma Singh on the 31st of last month and produced him in court. He was sent to judicial remand on the orders of the court.
On Monday, a petition was filed in the ACB court and the court allowed four days of custody to question him in custody. With this, Singh was taken into custody by the ACB officials in Vijayawada jail on Tuesday morning. Questions were raised regarding the news coming out about the Dharma Singh affair for the last four days.
They also inquired about the letter that is going viral on social media, allegedly written to Chief Minister Chandrababu. The questions include, did former CM Jagan PA KNR and Jagan’s brother YS Sunil Reddy threaten you? How many lands were registered illegally? Where are they located? What is their value?
He has reportedly said that he did not know Vanam Divya at all and that she was one of the girls that Srikanth brought to enjoy in Goa. It is learnt that the ACB is planning to issue notices to YSRCP leaders and Chimakurthi Srikanth and summon them based on the details given by Dharma Singh in these four days and the evidence available for them.
