Bellary: CBI Recovers Gold Worth Rs 2 Crore from Srinivas Reddy's Lockers
Daijiworld Media Network
Bellary, Sep 17: Continuing the investigations into the illegal mining scam, a CBI team on Saturday September 17 opened the bank lockers of Obulapuram Mining Corporation (OMC) managing director Srinivas Reddy and sezied gold jewellery worth approximately Rs 2 crore.
The team also confiscated Rs 10 lac in cash and documents relating to lands owned by the Reddys in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Earlier on Saturday, Srinivas Reddy, who is under CBI custody for his alleged role in the scam, was brought from Hyderabad to Bellary for further probe into certain financial transactions. He was taken to to a bank, where his accounts and other details were examined.
The CBI team opened four of his six lockers, from which cash, documents and gold were recovered.
Sourced said that Reddy had opened the accounts in benami names and that the bank manager, who is currently stationed in Bangalore, had collaborated with him. The accounts were apparently meant to transfer and stock money generated from illegal mining, it is learnt.
Srinivas Reddy was arrested earlier this month along with his brother-in-law and former tourism minister Janardhana Reddy in connection with illegal mining. They were taken to Hyderabad by the CBI team, where the two were put under CBI custody till September 19.
CBI teams have also raided a rice mill owned by an aide of Janardhana Reddy, and so also his driver Basha from whom they seized Rs 4 lac in cash, two kg of silver articles and some documents. They also searched the houses of the relatives of a former government official.
Basha has been taken by the CBI for questioning. The team also searched the houses of former director of mining V D Rajagopal
The searches were conducted while a court in Anantapur district on Saturday remanded truck driver Venkatarami Reddy and his assistant Eswar Reddy in police custody. A day earlier, Rs.4.9 crore was found stuffed in three sacks in the vehicle they were travelling in.
The two were arrested at Guntakal in Anantapur district on Thursday when they were transporting the cash from Bellary. They reportedly told police that the cash belonged to Srinivas Reddy.
The searches in Anantapur and Bellary were conducted amid reports that the accused were shifting large amounts of cash out of Bellary.
The CBI has also questioned Janardhana Reddy's brothers Karunakara and Somasekhara.
OMC mining areas Malpangudi, Pumpi and Vidlapura in the Andhra-Karnataka border are also under CBI scanner.