BJP leader Muralidhar Rao, 8 others booked for cheating couple of ₹2.1 crore by forging Nirmala Sitharaman’s signature

On Tuesday, an FIR was filed against Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary P Muralidhar Rao and eight others for cheating a woman and her husband of ₹2.17 crore after promising the husband a government job in 2016. The Hyderabad Police filed the FIR after the complainant, Talla Pravarna Reddy, approached the Rangareddy district court.

The FIR was filed under Sections 406, 420, 468, 471, 506 r/w 120b of the Indian Penal Code, and Sections 156(3) of the CrPC. The FIR was filed against Muralidhar Rao, A Krishna Kishore, Eshwar Reddy, Manda Ramachandra Reddy, Gajula Hanumantha Rao, Sama Chandrashekar Reddy, Baba, Srikanth and G Srinivas.

The FIR said the complainant and her husband Mahipal Reddy got acquainted with Eshwar Reddy who “styles himself” as a journalist associated with prominent personalities in the BJP. The couple were told A Krishna Kishore, who is listed in the FIR, could get them a post in any department of the Central government. The couple was shown a photocopy of a letter purportedly signed by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and then gave the amount of ₹2.17 crore, and were told the husband would be appointed chairperson of Pharma Exil Ltd, which functions under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industries.

When the matter then “dragged on”, the couple attempted to get their money back but were threatened. Eshwar Reddy promised to return the money but failed to do so, and a case was registered by the couple in New Delhi. The FIR also noted the “entire issue” was telecast on electronic media in August 2016.

Meanwhile, Muralidhar Rao said he has “nothing to do with the present dispute”.