VIJAYAWADA: A major political scandal has come to light in Andhra Pradesh as five individuals, all employees of Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy’s office (CMO), have been apprehended for their involvement in forging digital signatures of key officers within the CMO. The arrested suspects have been identified as Kanamarla Srinu, Guthula Seetha Ramaiah, Nalajala Sai Ram, Bhukya Chaitanyanayak, and Abdul Razak.
Exposing the elaborate workings of the scheme, CID SP Harshavardhan Raju unveiled, “The individuals involved held positions within the offices of Chief Secretary Jawahar Reddy, Chief Minister’s Secretary Reva Muthyala Raju, and Chief Minister’s Additional Secretary Dhanunjay Reddy.” Their modus operandi involved unauthorized access to the e-office login credentials of CMO secretaries, through which they clandestinely prepared Chief Minister Petitions (CMPs) without the officials’ knowledge.
These falsified CMPs were then submitted to relevant departments, utilizing the digital signatures of the secretaries, effectively giving the petitions an air of legitimacy. In certain instances, the accused even resorted to physically cutting and pasting the signatures onto the fabricated petitions. These CMPs were allegedly offered to Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs), Members of Parliament (MPs), and ministers, who would then be charged a fee for their processing.
The scheme was exposed when a CMP prepared by Kanamrala Srinu was circulated within the CMO. The heightened vigilance of CMO officials led to a comprehensive inquiry, ultimately culminating in the arrest of the five individuals involved. A range of charges, including cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy, have been levied against the accused, who have been remanded to judicial custody.
In response to this scandal, the CMO has issued a stern warning to the public, urging caution and advising against submitting CMPs through unauthorized channels. They have further advised individuals not to engage with anyone who claims to possess the ability to expedite CMP processing in exchange for monetary compensation. This incident has raised concerns about the vulnerability of official processes to manipulation and has ignited discussions regarding enhanced security measures within administrative procedures.
