BJP Gen Secy Muralidhar Rao among 8 booked for ‘forging’ Nirmala Sitharaman’s sign

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Mar 28, 2019 : An FIR has been lodged against BJP national general secretary P Muralidhar Rao for allegedly cheating a couple of Rs 2.17 crore after promising them a post at Pharmexcil, a body that functions under the Commerce Ministry. The FIR was lodged at Saroornagar police station on the direction of a local court after the couple filed a petition accusing Rao, his close confidant Kishore Rao and six others of cheating them in October 2016. The complaint also stated that Muralidhar forged the signature of then Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on a fake letterhead of Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India, Yahoonews reported.

 

Muralidhar dismissed the allegations saying that it was aimed at tarnishing his reputation. "I have nothing to do with any of this. The timing of the FIR just before elections suggests it is with malafide intention," he said. "The FIR involving me reportedly is sequel to a private complaint in a court by those who actually are facing criminal charges in the same matter," Rao tweeted.

Saroornagar police station Inspector E Srinivas said a case was filed Tuesday under Sections 420, 406, 468, 471 and 506 (read with 120-B) of the IPC.

T Pravarna Reddy, the complainant, alleged that Rao’s close friend Eswar Reddy had approached her and her husband, promising the post of a director of Pharmexcil. He allegedly showed them a letter signed by Sitharaman promising the top post and took Rs 2.17 crore from the couple. Eswar Reddy claimed that Krishna Kishore Rao, a close confidant of Muralidhar, would get the job done, the complainant alleged. The complainant alleged they were shown a letter, which had Nirmala Sitharaman’s signature but it was actually forged by Rao. However, after taking the money, Eswar Reddy allegedly delayed the matter. When they pressured Reddy, he promised to return the amount but did not do so, they alleged. The woman stated they have been trying to get their money back since the last two years but to no avail.