Chennai Customs has issued a summons to Ponguleti Harsha Reddy, the son of a Telangana minister, concerning his alleged involvement in a high-end watch smuggling case. According to official documents, Reddy was asked to appear on April 4. However, in a letter dated April 3, he cited his recovery from dengue fever as the reason for his inability to attend, stating that he would be available after April 27, as advised by medical professionals.
The summons, dated March 28, was sent to the office of a family-owned firm in Hyderabad, of which Harsha Reddy is a director. The case stems from the seizure of two luxury watches, a Patek Philipe 5740 and a Breguet 2759, on February 5 from Muhammed Faherdeen Mubeen, a Hong Kong-based individual who arrived in Chennai from Singapore.
Customs estimates the original value of the watches to be around ₹1.73 crore. The Patek Philipe has no dealer in Bharat, while the Breguet is unavailable in the Bharatiya market, according to an official press release. Investigations suggest that Harsha Reddy was identified as the buyer of the watches through an intermediary named Alokam Naveen Kumar, who facilitated the transaction using USDT cryptocurrency and cash via the hawala route.
Harsha Reddy, when contacted by PTI, vehemently denied the allegations, calling them “baseless”. He stated that he was surprised by the summons and claimed to have no knowledge of the case. Despite his denial, he has agreed to appear before the department after April 27, as advised by medical professionals.
The Madras High Court, while dismissing an anticipatory bail petition filed by Naveen Kumar, noted on March 18 that the amount involved in the overall smuggling of luxury watches over time might exceed ₹100 crore, based on available records. Subsequently, during a review of the case by the Alandur court on April 1, the Judicial Magistrate directed Customs to investigate Harsha Reddy and to arrest Alokam Naveen Kumar.
The case continues to unfold as Customs officials delve deeper into the alleged smuggling ring, while Harsha Reddy maintains his innocence amid mounting accusations.
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