Officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Anti Corruption Bureau, investigating the alleged illegal mining activities of the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC), owned by mining baron G. Janardhan Reddy, on Sunday raided the houses of two of his close associates.
This is the second raid in the past one week. On September 5, the CBI team, led by Joint Director V.V. Lakshminarayana, raided the houses of Mr. Reddy and also that of his relative B.V. Srinivas Reddy, who is managing director of OMC, arrested them and lodged them in Chanchalaguda Central Jail in Hyderabad.
On Sunday, one team led by A.V. Ramana Rao, Police Inspector, CBI/ACB, searched the house owned by S. Gurulingana Goud, Chairman of Bellary Urban Development Authority.
Another team led by Seetharam, Police Inspector CBI/ACB, searched the house belonging to Kuruvalli Bhaskar Reddy, a relative and close associate of Mr. Janardhan Reddy.
The locker belonging to Bhaskar Reddy at the Pragathi Grameen Bank in Gandhi Nagar, was also searched. Witnesses, (employees of nationalised banks and other central government undertakings), were present during the searches throughout.
The CBI officials, according to sources, quizzed the two and their family members about their association with Mr. Janardhan Reddy, the details of the assets, included landed property, and the like, and verified the relevant documents.
However, after undertaking thorough and systematic searches, of both the houses, the CBI officials have not found any incriminating documents, material objects, cash in connection with the criminal case they were investigating.
Tough time
On getting the information about the CBI raid, press and mediapersons gathered in large number in front of both the houses to cover the event. As there was hardly any flow of information, with the CBI officials declining to share information, they began chasing the CBI officials wherever they went.
Meanwhile, people closely associated with Mr. Reddy, even politically, appear to be under a grip of fear on coming to know about the CBI raids on the houses of Mr. Gurulingana Goud and Bhaskar Reddy.
