The Customs Department in Chennai has summoned Ponguleti Harsha Reddy, the son of Telangana’s Revenue, Housing, and Information Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, in connection with an alleged smuggling case involving high-end watches worth crores of rupees. The incident dates back to February 5 when two luxury watches, a Patek Philippe 5740 and a Breguet 2759, were seized from Indian national Muhammed Faherdeen Mubeen, who was visiting Chennai from Singapore.
The original value of the watches, estimated by Customs, was ₹1.73 crore. Notably, the Patek Philippe model in question is not officially available through dealers in India, while the Breguet model is currently out of stock in the Indian market.
Ponguleti Harsha Reddy was scheduled to appear before Customs on April 4 but requested a postponement citing dengue fever. He has agreed to appear after April 27 as per reports.
According to Customs investigations, Harsha Reddy is alleged to be the buyer of the watches from Mubeen, facilitated by intermediary Alokam Naveen Kumar. Kumar, who was interrogated on March 12, reportedly disclosed details about the transaction, including the use of USDT (a form of cryptocurrency) and cash via the hawala route for payments.
In response to the Customs summons, Harsha Reddy expressed surprise and denied any knowledge of the case.
The development has drawn attention due to the involvement of a prominent political figure’s son in an alleged smuggling operation, highlighting concerns over illicit transactions and the use of unconventional payment methods like cryptocurrency in such activities. Further investigations are expected to shed light on the extent of involvement and the legality of the transactions in question.
Sources By Agencies
