Part 1
'I'm young because I take this'

Part 2
'Reddy is our Mother Teresa'

Part 3

Lakireddy Balireddy's arrest in the United States has had its aftereffect in his home district. The US consulate in Madras has stopped issuing visas to the residents of Krishna district in general and Velvadam village in particular.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, for his part, ordered a police probe into the allegation that Balireddy had been 'exporting' girls to the US. But 10 days of enquiry have the police only groping in the dark.

Not a single complaint has been filed against Balireddy. Nor has the investigation unearthed any evidence to prove that he took teenage girls to the US, faking passports and visas.

But police officers conceded that the business of fake passport is a thriving one in Hyderabad, as it is elsewhere in the country.

"There is nothing new as making fake passports and visa is big business in Bombay, Delhi, Hyderabad, Madras, and other cities in the country," said an officer who is looking into Balireddy's past.

"Our information is that he was a smooth operator. He appointed a team of local agents in Hyderabad and Mylavaram who dealt with the police and the passport office," he added.

To begin with, the police have asked the passport office to submit the names of all passport holders of Krishna and Khamman districts, Balireddy's major recruitment centres.

Police officers have stumbled upon a few cases indicating foul play.

For instance, Mohammad Ashraf, a 21-year-old Muslim youth in Mylavaram, became Somayya Reddy, a Hindu. He was issued a visa as Balireddy's cousin.

Seventeen-year-old Sitha alias Usha Kiran, who died in Balireddy's Berkley apartment, was a dalit Christian. Her father's name was Prathipatty German. But she claimed she was a Hindu, the daughter of one Venketeswara Reddy of Madhira village in Khamma district.

"It was a well-knit racket involving the local police and passport office. Balireddy paid lots of money to the officers concerned to ensure that passports were issued to them in the names he wanted," alleged the police officer.

While the NRI paid for their passport, visa, airfare and other expenses and promised them salaries ranging from US $ 600 to US $ 1,000 with free accommodation, the parents were clueless about what their children did for a living.

The scandal in Silicon Valley has forced the US consulate in Madras to temporarily stop issuing visas to the residents of Krishna district. The US consulate became suspicious of the Telugu millionaire after it received anonymous letters in November 1999 from Velvadam and Mylavaram.

The letters alleged that Balireddy was taking teenaged girls from the villages to the US without the consent of their parents. Another allegation was that the parents were selling their daughters to Balireddy.

When contacted, a US consulate official refused to comment on the matter. But he confirmed that his office has for the time being stopped issuing visas to Krishna district residents.

"We are investigating how Balireddy managed hundreds of visas based on wrong information," the consulate official said.

Officials in Hyderabad said a US team may come to India to enquire into the NRI's operations.

As for the Andhra police, they cannot book Balireddy until they receive a formal complaint.

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