The Hyderabad Police on Tuesday filed an FIR against eight people, including Bharatiya Janata Party General Secretary P Muralidhar Rao, for alleged cheating and forgery. BJP National General Secretary Muralidhar Rao was booked by the Hyderabad police on Tuesday for allegedly cheating a couple to the tune of Rs 2.17 crore. Eight others were also named in the FIR.

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However, Muralidhar Rao refuted the allegations and said he has nothing to do with the case. The other accused were identified as A Krishna Kishore, Eshwar Reddy, Manda Ramachandra Reddy, Gajula Hanumantha Rao, Sama Chandrashekar Reddy, Baba, Srikanth, and G Srinivas.

They have been accused of cheating a woman and her husband of Rs 2.1 crore after promising him a government job in 2016. However, when Mahipal Reddy was not appointed to the post and the couple demanded their money back, Muralidhar Rao allegedly threatened them. Eshwar Reddy promised to return the money but failed to do so, the complainant alleged.

A case under Sections 406, 420, 468, 471, 506 read with 120 b IPC, 156 (3) CrPC was registered against the nine persons including Mr. Muralidhar Rao, who is cited as A-8. 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.

However, Muralidhar Rao denied any connection to the dispute. “The FIR involving me reportedly is the sequel to a private complaint in a court by those who actually are facing criminal charges in the same matter,” Rao said on Twitter. “The timing of the private complaint which has no base is mischievous, to say the least.”

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