The Enforcement Directorate (ED) focussed its investigation on difference in iron ore excavated and purchased by the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) and its exports to other countries when it questioned the company’s managing director B.V. Srinivas Reddy in Chanchalguda jail. A four-member team of ED on Sunday started questioning the accused lodged in jail in the high profile cases of CBI from the angle of money laundering. The questioning of nine persons other than Kadapa MP Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, against whom the court has not yet given permission to the ED, will go on till Tuesday.
Charge-sheets
Apart from Srinivas Reddy, the ED on Sunday questioned ex-mines director V.D. Rajagopal and suspended IAS officer Y. Srilakshmi in the presence of their advocates from 10.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The agency was represented by Assistant Directors Kamal Singh, Sushil Kumar, Y. Narasimha Rao and Phanibhushan. Sources said all the three accused were confronted with the charge-sheets filed by the CBI in the OMC case with the aid of a questionnaire. In the case of Srinivas Reddy, he was asked about his family background, how he entered the business of mining, how much the company excavated iron ore by itself, how much it purchased and how much it exported. He was asked to answer the difference in the quantities of excavation, purchase and exports, mainly to China before the Beijing Olympics.
Acharya to be grilled
Rajagopal and Srilakshmi were grilled on rule position and the role of government in mining activities. The ED has already questioned former Karnataka Minister Gali Janardhan Reddy in jail at Bangalore in connection with the OMC case. On Monday, the agency will question the arrested persons in Jagan’s case – suspended IAS officer B.P. Acharya, former special secretary K.V. Brahmananda Reddy and industrialist Nimmagadda Prasad.
