Chicago sex racket takes political turn in Andhra
HYDERABAD: “The chargesheet clearly says the Chicago police had interrogated (Telugu Association of North America president) Satish Vemana in the sex racket.” VASIREDDY PADMA, YSRC spokesperson
The ongoing investigation by the federal police in Chicago in the US into the high profile sex racket being run by a Telugu businessman-turned-film producer has taken a political turn back home in Andhra Pradesh. The opposition YSR Congress party has alleged that the accused have close links with ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
The Chicago police arrested Modugumudi Kishan alias Raju (34) and his wife Chandrakala alias Vibha (31) in the last week of April and filed a 42-page chargesheet in the district court earlier this month.
According to the chargesheet, the Telugu couple were running a high-end prostitution ring to lure actresses from Tollywood (the Telugu film industry) to the US and advertise them for sex at Indian conferences and cultural events across the country. The couple allegedly charged clients up to $3,000 for each sexual encounter.
Apparently, Modugumudi Kishan, an NRI businessman who co-produced a few hit films, used to send invites to the actresses in the name of Telugu Association of North America (TANA) and other Telugu associations which regularly conduct cultural and film events all through the year.
YSRC official spokesperson Vasireddy Padma alleged that TANA president Satish Vemana was a known TDP leader and a close associate of chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu. “The chargesheet clearly says the Chicago police had interrogated Satish Vemana in the latest sex racket. I don’t think this racket was being run without his knowledge and other TDP leaders. How can a person like Modugumudi Kishan get access to TANA letterheads to send invites to actresses to the US?” she asked.
The YSRC spokesperson also pointed out that TANA’s former president Komati Jayaram was also a TDP leader and Naidu had appointed him as the representative of Andhra Pradesh in North America. “While Jayaram has done nothing for the Telugu NRIs in the US, he has remained blind to such illegal sex rackets,” she criticised.
TANA president Satish Vemana, however, denied the allegations, stating that his organisation did not have any relationship with the Modugumudi couple. “Ours is the oldest and most reputed Telugu Association in the US and it does not hire any agents to invite Telugu people to its functions and activities,” he said.
He admitted that Brian Ginna special agent of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had questioned him with regard to the letters sent by Modugumudis to several actresses on TANA letterhead. “I clarified to Ginn that the letter in question was not written by me, that my signature was forged and that I am not personally acquainted with or had any contact with Kishan or his wife,” he said. Vemana said he had come to know that Kishan had submitted several forged invitation letters purportedly on behalf of several Telugu organisations to the American consulate to obtain visas in a fraudulent manner.