'Siddeswara's sibling Lingaraju illegally exported iron ore from Belekeri port'
Bengaluru, Apr 19 (DHNS): The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Lokayukta has arrested G M Lingaraju, younger brother of Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Davangere MP, G M Siddeswara, in connection with the illegal export of iron ore from the Belekeri port in Uttara Kannada district.
The SIT officials said the arrest was made as GEM Laboratories Pvt Ltd, of which Lingaraju is the managing director, had illegally exported 12,500 MT of iron ore from Belekeri port near Karwar.
GEM Laboratories, having its office at Gandhinagar in Bengaluru, is into export of processed food and beverages. It has exported around one-lakh MT of iron ore from the Belekeri port between 2009 and 2010. Investigators found that six of the consignments had been shipped out without proper documents.
The SIT had issued notice to Lingaraju to appear before the Investigating Officer (IO) for questioning on April 17, 2015. A senior police officer said Lingaraju failed to produce supporting documents for the export of 12,500 MT of iron ore. The SIT officials produced Lingaraju before the Lokayukta special court on Friday evening, which has remanded him in judicial custody till April 28.
“GEM Laboratories is one of the exporters operating at the Belekeri port. A total of six of its consignments were under scrutiny by our team while probing into illegal mining, transportation and export of iron ore from the Belekeri port. He was summoned and arrested for failing to explain the source of iron ore,” the official said.
GEM Laboratories is one of the companies promoted under the flagship GM Group of Companies owned by G M Siddeswara’s family.
When contacted, Siddeswara said he had no links with the company reportedly involved in the illegal export of iron ore. “I am in Delhi right now. I have no links with the businesses owned by my brother,” the minister said.
Asked whether he was the chairman of the GM Group, he said: “I am not the chairman of the GM Group of Companies.”
Minister has 9,649 shares
In the affidavit submitted to the Central Election Commission during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, when he filed his nomination from the Davangere constituency, Siddeswara has mentioned that he has purchased 9,649 shares of GEM Laboratories Pvt Ltd, worth Rs 9.64 lakh, while another entry (Investments in firms and loans and advances given and other investments) has an entry of Rs 46.47 lakh given as personal loan to his brother G M Lingaraju.