On Friday, the Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at premises linked to Hyderabad-based infrastructure and mining company AMR India Limited, promoted by A Mahesh Reddy, as part of a money-laundering investigation into alleged diversion of loans obtained from financial institutions.
However, the development received little attention in the mainstream Telugu media, apart from a small report published inside one Telugu daily.
Even the English-language media gave the issue limited coverage. This apparent lack of prominence was questioned by retired IPS officer and former Andhra Pradesh intelligence chief A B Venkateswara Rao.
The ED conducted searches at multiple premises linked to AMR India and its promoter A Mahesh Reddy under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The searches reportedly covered locations in Hyderabad, including Kamalapuri Colony and Banjara Hills, apart from premises in Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chennai.
Reddy is alleged to have been involved in financial irregularities concerning loans running into hundreds of crores obtained from Kolkata-based non-banking financial companies SREI Infrastructure Finance Ltd (SIFL) and SREI Equipment Finance Ltd (SEFL).
The ED is reportedly examining allegations that funds obtained for specified projects were subsequently diverted to related entities. The investigation is also said to cover alleged evergreening and round-tripping of funds, apart from repayment defaults.
The AMR Group had also come under scrutiny in Andhra Pradesh over its role as a Seniorage Collecting Contractor (SCC) during the previous YSR Congress Party government.
The company was reportedly entrusted with collecting seniorage fees related to the transportation of minor minerals across several districts, including Guntur, Krishna, Nellore, Prakasam and Visakhapatnam, through a network of hundreds of check-posts.
AMR was also accused of using private applications and websites to issue permits and receipts. Vigilance and mining authorities had reportedly raised allegations that substantial amounts were collected from mining operators through UPI QR codes linked to individual bank accounts, as well as through cash transactions.
The latest searches have also reportedly brought a number of high-end vehicles linked to Mahesh Reddy under the investigators’ scanner. Officials are said to have identified around 11 luxury vehicles, including Mercedes-Maybach, Lexus, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Nissan GT-R models.
Against this backdrop, ABV publicly questioned why the ED searches and the allegations surrounding AMR had not received what he considered adequate coverage in the Telugu mainstream media.
In a social media post, ABV expressed surprise that Telugu newspapers and television channels had apparently not given prominence to an ED operation involving multiple cities, alleged financial irregularities and high-value assets.
Rao also raised questions over alleged business and financial links between the AMR Group’s promoters and the owners or managements of certain Telugu media organisations.
He suggested that advertising, investments, sponsorships or other commercial relationships could have influenced the manner in which the developments were covered.
He further alleged that political influence and relationships between business interests and media organisations might have contributed to what he described as a lack of scrutiny of the mineral-collection issue during the previous government and thereafter.
For now, these claims regarding media influence and business links remain allegations, and there has been no public confirmation establishing that editorial coverage was deliberately suppressed.
