YSRCP MP Mithun Reddy arrested in AP Liquor Scam; SIT probes bribery and policy manipulation

Amaravati: YSRCP MP PV Mithun Reddy has been arrested in connection with the alleged Andhra Pradesh liquor scam. On Saturday, he was interrogated by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for nearly seven hours at their Vijayawada office. The questioning focused on the formulation of the state’s liquor policy and the alleged routing of bribes through shell companies.

The SIT investigation intensified after the High Court dismissed Mithun Reddy’s anticipatory bail plea. Officials questioned him about the flow of funds from shell companies to beneficiaries, suspecting deep-rooted financial misconduct during the YSRCP regime.

Mithun Reddy, who serves as YSRCP's floor leader in the Lok Sabha is considered a close aide of party chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. He has been named as A4 in the FIR

What was the liquor scam about?

The YSRCP government, after coming to power in 2019, introduced a new liquor policy, claiming it was part of a phased prohibition plan. Under this policy, the State took over nearly 3,500 liquor stores through the Andhra Pradesh State Beverages Corporation Limited (APSBCL). Liquor shop operating hours were reduced, prices increased, and many well-known brands were replaced with new, lesser-known labels—dubbed ‘Jagan brands’—such as Boom, President Medal, Napoleon and Block Bister.

The APSBCL also controversially switched to cash transactions at all outlets, citing operational challenges with digital payments. Critics claim this move enabled large-scale financial misconduct.

Earlier arrests and interrogations

On April 21, SIT arrested Kasireddy Rajashekar Reddy, the alleged mastermind and former IT adviser to Jagan, at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. Along with him, his personal assistant Dilip Kumar and another accused, Chanaky, were also taken into custody and remanded to judicial custody.

Kasireddy allegedly devised the excise policy with Jagan’s approval to raise funds for the government and party. Though he did not sign a confessional statement, his remand report indicated he orchestrated the collection of nearly Rs 60 crore per month in kickbacks from distillers by promoting select liquor brands while suppressing popular ones. The funds were reportedly funnelled through intermediaries.

Several political figures, including former MP V Vijaya Sai Reddy have been questioned in the widening probe.