With the arrest of mining baron and former Karnataka minister G. Janardhan Reddy and Obulapuram Mining Company managing director B.V. Srinivas Reddy on Monday, the CBI has now begun its probe into the illegal mining activities being run by the Reddy brothers of Bellary across the border in Andhra Pradesh.
Sources here suggest that the CBI may register a disproportionate assets (DA) case against the former Karnataka minister. An early morning raid on his residence at Bellary yielded 30 kg of gold and a fleet of expensive cars, including the Rolls Royce, besides a considerable amount of cash.
CBI sources noted that the agency’s action was a culmination of investigations into the allegations of irregularities in the mining activities of the company owned by the Reddy brothers, G. Karunakar Reddy, G. Janardhan Reddy, and G. Somashekar Reddy. The CBI has also registered a case under different sections of the Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act, 1957.
The mining leases were granted by the government of Andhra Pradesh to the Bellary-based mining company. “The agency officials are now going to initiate a probe into the role of others associated with the Reddy brothers,” sources said.
If required, the agency will also question certain officials of the Karnataka government in this connection. “Several Karnataka government officials are also under the scanner of the CBI. The agency has started collecting relevant documents in this regard from Karnataka government. The agency sleuths may record statements of certain top officials of the Karnataka government,” sources added.
They said that the probe agency is currently looking into allegations of irregularities in Andhra Pradesh involving the illegal mining business of the Bellary brothers, but their involvement in similar activity carried out in the state of Karnataka cannot be ruled out.