BJP's Muralidhar Rao and 8 others booked for cheating: Police

Hyderabad: An FIR was filed against BJP national general secretary P Muralidhar Rao and eight others for allegedly cheating a man here of Rs 2.17 crore by promising him a nominated post in the central government, police said on Wednesday.

However, Muralidhar Rao refuted the allegations and said he has nothing to do with the case.

Based on a court-referred complaint lodged by the man's wife, a case was registered on Tuesday against Muralidhar Rao and eight others on charges of cheating, forgery, criminal intimidation and other relevant IPC sections, they said. The complainant alleged that she and her husband were induced by Muralidhar Rao and others by showing a purported letter with forged signature of Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

She alleged they took Rs 2.17 crore after promising that her husband would be appointed chairperson of Pharma Exil, police said.

Denying the allegations, Muralidhar Rao in a series of tweets said, "Regarding the FIR filed - have nothing to do with the present dispute. 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."

"The timing of the private complaint which has no base is mischievous to say the least. Hope police will act quickly to nail the lies. My lawyers will initiate appropriate steps to bring the culprits to justice," he said in another tweet.

In November 2015, Eswar Reddy, who claimed to be closely associated with prominent personalities in the BJP, approached the woman and her husband.

Eswar Reddy had said he knew one A Krishna Kishore, the "shadow" of Muralidhar Rao, who was capable of getting a nominated post in any department of the central government, the woman said in her complaint.

The complainant said she and her husband were reluctant to acquire the post by spending a huge amount.