<p>TDP leader J C Prabhakar Reddy was arrested on Saturday over his alleged involvement in the illegal registration and sale of motor vehicles that were purchased as scrap, making him the second opposition party leader in Andhra Pradesh to be held over graft charges.</p>.<p>On Friday, Telugu Desam Legislature Party Deputy leader and former minister K Atchannaidu was taken into custody by state Anti-Corruption Bureau sleuths in connection with alleged Rs 151 crore scam in the ESI Corporation. Prabhakar Reddy and his son, Asmith Reddy, were arrested at their residence in Hyderabad and brought to their native Anantapuramu district, police sources said. Sources said the former MLA produced fabricated documents for obtaining no-objection certificates for selling the vehicles in other states.</p>.<p>Joint Transport Commissioner S A V Prasada Rao said Jatadhara Industries Private Ltd and another C Gopal Reddy and Company of Tadipatri in Anantapuramu district were indulged in malpractices by purchasing vehicles (BS-3 standard) sold as scrap and getting them registered in Nagaland during 2018, through fake and fabricated documents. In all, 154 vehicles were involved in the illicit transactions. Jatadhara Industries is owned by J C Uma Reddy and Asmith Reddy, wife and son of Prabhakar Reddy. The other company is owned by Gopal Reddy, a close associate of Prabhakar Reddy.</p>.<p>"It became clear that the owners of the two companies purchased the vehicles (from Ashok Leyland) as scrap, which are not roadworthy. They forged documents to show as if they are roadworthy vehicles, properly sold by the manufacturer, to get them registered at a faraway place in Nagaland," Prasada Rao said. He pointed out that the invoices produced for registration, purportedly issued by Ashok Leyland company were not in consonance with each other. "It is also clear that, for securing wrongful gains, they obtained no-objection certificates within a few days and got the vehicles re-registered at Anantapuramu. They were not only cheating the government by plying these unfit vehicles illegally but also endangering road safety and human lives," the Joint Transport Commissioner said. Of the total 154 scrap vehicles, 101 were registered in AP while 28 were taken to other states on NOC.</p>.<p>The remaining vehicles were registered in other states. "We have informed the vehicle registering authorities in other states about these vehicles and fake documents. We have also written to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways requesting that these 154 vehicles be blacklisted in the VAHAN database to prevent any further transactions," Prasada Rao added. A</p>.<p>part from registration using fake documents, the crime also extended to fake insurance policies for these vehicles. "As faking insurance policies and plying of such vehicles endangers public safety and road safety, further criminal cases have to be booked against the two companies," the JTC said. The Regional Transport Authorities in Anantapuramu so far filed 24 criminal cases against the two companies and their owners while three more cases were registered in Kurnool district. Further investigation into the case is on.</p>
<p>TDP leader J C Prabhakar Reddy was arrested on Saturday over his alleged involvement in the illegal registration and sale of motor vehicles that were purchased as scrap, making him the second opposition party leader in Andhra Pradesh to be held over graft charges.</p>.<p>On Friday, Telugu Desam Legislature Party Deputy leader and former minister K Atchannaidu was taken into custody by state Anti-Corruption Bureau sleuths in connection with alleged Rs 151 crore scam in the ESI Corporation. Prabhakar Reddy and his son, Asmith Reddy, were arrested at their residence in Hyderabad and brought to their native Anantapuramu district, police sources said. Sources said the former MLA produced fabricated documents for obtaining no-objection certificates for selling the vehicles in other states.</p>.<p>Joint Transport Commissioner S A V Prasada Rao said Jatadhara Industries Private Ltd and another C Gopal Reddy and Company of Tadipatri in Anantapuramu district were indulged in malpractices by purchasing vehicles (BS-3 standard) sold as scrap and getting them registered in Nagaland during 2018, through fake and fabricated documents. In all, 154 vehicles were involved in the illicit transactions. Jatadhara Industries is owned by J C Uma Reddy and Asmith Reddy, wife and son of Prabhakar Reddy. The other company is owned by Gopal Reddy, a close associate of Prabhakar Reddy.</p>.<p>"It became clear that the owners of the two companies purchased the vehicles (from Ashok Leyland) as scrap, which are not roadworthy. They forged documents to show as if they are roadworthy vehicles, properly sold by the manufacturer, to get them registered at a faraway place in Nagaland," Prasada Rao said. He pointed out that the invoices produced for registration, purportedly issued by Ashok Leyland company were not in consonance with each other. "It is also clear that, for securing wrongful gains, they obtained no-objection certificates within a few days and got the vehicles re-registered at Anantapuramu. They were not only cheating the government by plying these unfit vehicles illegally but also endangering road safety and human lives," the Joint Transport Commissioner said. Of the total 154 scrap vehicles, 101 were registered in AP while 28 were taken to other states on NOC.</p>.<p>The remaining vehicles were registered in other states. "We have informed the vehicle registering authorities in other states about these vehicles and fake documents. We have also written to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways requesting that these 154 vehicles be blacklisted in the VAHAN database to prevent any further transactions," Prasada Rao added. A</p>.<p>part from registration using fake documents, the crime also extended to fake insurance policies for these vehicles. "As faking insurance policies and plying of such vehicles endangers public safety and road safety, further criminal cases have to be booked against the two companies," the JTC said. The Regional Transport Authorities in Anantapuramu so far filed 24 criminal cases against the two companies and their owners while three more cases were registered in Kurnool district. Further investigation into the case is on.</p>