The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has decided to question another IAS officer, K. Prabhakar Reddy, who was part of the Chief Minister's office in YSR's regime, in the Gali Janardhan Reddy-owned Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) scam. Mr. Reddy looked after the subject of mines in the CMO and retired from service in 2009.
The decision to summon him as a witness was informed to mediapersons on Monday by CBI joint director V.V. Lakshminarayana. He said the ‘look out' notice issued for Mehfuz Ali Khan, the personal assistant of Gali Janardhan Reddy, had not yet yielded any result. He was on the run with Janardhan Reddy's laptop which contained a wealth of information about the scam.
Transporters' evidence
Mr. Lakshminarayana said the CBI secured evidence from transporters to show that iron ore extracted in Bellary of Karnataka was shown as the product of OMC in Obulapuram of Anantapur district. IAS officer Y. Srilakshmi had admitted to clearing the mining lease in favour of OMC under political pressure. With this, evidence against all the four accused in the scam was built up.
The CBI also got evidence to prove violation in respect of a mine belonging to OMC in over 39.5 hectares which was not used for the purpose for which it was allotted. It was supposed to be a captive mine going by a noting in the draft file, but the final order did not specify the purpose.
About other cases under investigation by the CBI, Mr. Lakshminarayana said the agency did not feel the necessity to summon Mr. Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy again although the valuation of his large house at Lotus Pond here was not completed.
Rajagopal sent to jail
The Collectors of Guntur and Prakasam were questioned in the allotment of over 15,000 acres for Vadarevu and Nizampatnam Ports and the Industrial Corridor project promoted by Nimmagadda Prasad. The questioning of officers in the Secretariat who handled orders related to land allotment was going on.
He added that the vice-chairman and managing director of Emaar MGF Land Limited, Shravan Gupta, had sought time to appear in the Emaar case. The chargesheet in the killing of CPI (Maoist) leader Azad was under preparation.
Meanwhile, the former Director of Mines V.D. Rajagopal was sent to Chanchalguda jail in the OMC case when the CBI officials produced him in court on the expiry of his seven day police custody. The court remanded him to judicial custody till November 25.
