Hyderabad's Sheep Rearing Scam Under Scrutiny

In a sweeping probe, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out multiple searches across Hyderabad on Wednesday, intensifying a money-laundering investigation tied to a large-scale sheep rearing scam. The alleged fraudulent scheme reportedly cost the Telangana government crores of rupees during the previous BRS administration.

Sources revealed that at least eight locations linked to beneficiaries and purported middlemen were raided, including the premises of G Kalyan, an Officer on Special Duty to the former BRS minister Talasani Srinivasa Yadav. The operation was executed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, following a Telangana Police Anti-Corruption Bureau FIR filed in December 2023.

The scheme, initially launched in April 2017 to support shepherds, is marred by allegations of financial discrepancies and irregularities. Despite the FIR citing illicit funds amounted to Rs 2.1 crore, a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report estimates the loss to be over Rs 253.93 crore. The ED continues to probe the extent of this loss, potentially escalating beyond Rs 1,000 crore across all districts in the state.

(With inputs from agencies.)