Hyderabad: Enforcement Directorate officials probing the AP liquor scam traced hawala transfers worth ₹11 crore across 12 bank accounts in Telangana, revealing alleged links between excise corruption in Andhra Pradesh and financial routes in Hyderabad.
Searches conducted in Rangareddy and Hyderabad districts led to the seizure of critical data, according to ED officials. The funds were reportedly routed through shell firms and fake GST registrations, with transactions ranging between ₹5 lakh and ₹40 lakh per account.
Central agencies led the operation as part of a broader probe into illegal liquor contracts and bribe channels linked to senior political and administrative circles. Officials have named several individuals from Hyderabad’s corporate and political spheres as being under scrutiny, although no formal arrests have been confirmed.
The case, tied to irregularities in liquor tenders awarded during the YSRCP government’s term, has expanded to Telangana following leads on parallel money trails. Investigators believe the network involved shell firms laundering proceeds and distributing bribes under the guise of business contracts.
According to the ED, ₹11 crore was moved between June 2024 and the present, with significant portions entering Hyderabad via hawala channels. Intelligence inputs suggest coordination between middlemen, contractors, and AP-based liquor suppliers using Telangana as a transit hub.
The ED also cited ₹3,500 crore in allegedly inflated liquor procurement costs, traced back to firms granted contracts in violation of state norms. Officials said that key AP excise officials were complicit in authorising these tenders without open bidding.
The investigation links the ₹18,860 crore Andhra Pradesh liquor policy revenue to irregularities in vendor selection, procurement volume, and overpricing. The central agency claims this framework was designed to funnel political kickbacks under the cover of state revenue generation.
The ED called it a deliberate “policy scam” that used state liquor regulation to fund electoral and political operations, naming the Andhra Pradesh excise department as complicit in a “pre-designed financial offence.”
