It seems that son of a Telangana Minister has landed in smuggling case. It is widely reported that Chennai Customs has summoned Ponguleti Harsha Reddy, son of minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, over his alleged involvement in a high-end watch smuggling case.
Harsha Reddy, citing dengue fever, deferred his appearance from the initially scheduled 4th April to after 27th April, based on medical advice. However, Reddy denies any connection to the case.
Customs allege Harsha Reddy as the buyer of seized watches from a Hongkong-based Indian Muhammed Faherdeen Mubeen through an intermediary named Alokam Naveen Kumar. The intermediary purportedly facilitated payments via cryptocurrency and cash. Despite Reddy’s denial, he’s set to appear before Customs post his recovery.
The Customs estimated the original value of the watches at Rs. 1.73 crore. While the Patek Philippe watch does not have a dealer in India, the Breguet watch is currently unavailable in the Indian market.
The Madras High Court rejected anticipatory bail for Kumar, hinting at a potential Rs. 100 crore smuggling operation. Alandur court directed Customs to investigate Haresh Reddy and arrest Kumar.
In light of the notices, some people on social media are making wild assumptions about whether any political figures were behind the issue to trouble Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy.