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The Telangana Crime Investigation Department (CID) has initiated its third forensic audit into the Hyderabad Cricket Association’s (HCA) financial activities, targeting the period between October 2023 and July 2025. The audit centres on allegations that approximately INR 200 crore were misappropriated under the tenure of HCA president A. Jagan Mohan Rao and other apex council members.
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Mounting Evidence of Systemic Financial Misconduct
Earlier investigations uncovered troubling patterns: since Rao assumed office, the BCCI released INR 240 crore, but only INR 40 crore now remains in HCA accounts, suggesting that over INR 200 crore was unaccounted for in just 20 months.
The CID’s ongoing probe has revealed specific instances of inflated and suspicious expenses, such as INR 1.04 crore spent on only 1,340 cricket balls, INR 11.86 lakh on air conditioners, INR 56.85 lakh on team apparel, and INR 31.08 lakh in catering contracts without proper tendering.
Adding further complexity, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered a money-laundering investigation linked to these allegations. It alleges that INR 90 lakh in bribes were paid for stadium tenders and equipment contracts; these funds were traced back to a jeweller’s account associated with the wife of a former HCA treasurer.
Escalating Investigation and Flight of a Key Official
As scrutiny intensified, CID also conducted a massive interstate operation to apprehend HCA Secretary R. Devraj, who had been evading arrest since early July. After a 17-day manhunt across seven states, he was finally arrested in Pune and remanded for 14 days.
These developments unfold against a backdrop of earlier concerns: the CID had previously arrested Rao and four other officials over forgery and graft, following complaints from IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad of intimidation and demands for extra complimentary tickets.
