Cash-for-vote trap recordings ‘genuine’

HYDERABAD: In a crucial development, the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) has authenticated audiovisual and audio recordings of the cash-for-vote case trap to be genuine.TDP MLA A Revanth Reddy and two others were arrested on May 31 for trying to bribe a nominated MLA for his vote in the MLC elections. ACB obtained the authenticity report from the special court on Friday. Subsequently, they recorded statements of the complainant, nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson, and two eyewitnesses on Sunday, stating that the ACB trap occurred in their presence. A few weeks ago, the ACB sleuths had sent transcripts of the cash-for-vote case-related audiovisuals recorded in three iPhones and audio recorded in multiple digital audio recorders to FSL for authentication.The transcripts belong to recordings of the trap at MLA Elvis Stephenson’s house in Bhoiguda on May 30 and his friend Malcolm Taylor’s flat at Vikrampuri Colony on May 31, involving TDP MLA Revanth Reddy, bishop Harry Sebastian and R Uday Simha. After going through transcripts and checking them with the original content in their possession, FSL investigators submitted a report to the ACB court on Friday. “The FSL report said that the audio and audio visual records of the trap are authentic and we have collected copies of authenticated transcripts from the court on Friday,” a top ACB official said.On Sunday, the ACB sleuths recorded the statements of Elvis Stephenson, eyewitnesses Malcolm Taylor and Jessica Stephenson, confirming the locations of the traps, their presence at the location and the content in the transcripts to be genuine. After getting authenticity of the main trap evidence, the ACB is planning to transcribe the entire call conversation audio records in Harry Sebastian’s HTC phone. According to ACB sources, the phone has some crucial evidence like Sebastian’s conversations with another cash-for-vote case accused MLA Sandra Venkata Veeraiah and top political leaders talking about the vote in the MLC polls. “We will soon send transcripts of conversations recorded in Sebastian’s phone to FSL for authentication. Once we get that report, we will start the process of gathering voice samples of the accused for a matching test,” an ACB source said.