Bellary (K'taka): CBI continued its raids
for the second day on Friday on the residence and offices of
Karnataka Tourism Minister Janardhana Reddy as part of its
probe into the alleged illegal mining by a company owned by
him and his brother in the state and neighbouring Andhra
Pradesh.
The CBI team, which began its raids yesterday, conducted
searches at Ennoble India, a chit fund firm which has now
ceased its operations, and other establishments owned by Reddy
till 3 am, police said.
The searches were resumed this morning, they said. Some
documents were seized from Reddy's residence by the team which
also searched the offices of CGM Mines, another mining group,
police said.
Yesterday, the CBI team, armed with search warrants,
examined the records of Obulapuram Mining Company and Ennoble
India and 'Kannada Nadu'-- a vernacular daily, all owned by
Janardhana and his brother Revenue Minister Karunakara Reddy.
CBI officials had questioned Janardhana and their family
associate Health Minister B Sreeramulu, who is also an OMC
partner, besides few employees of their establishments.
Janardhana, whose mining companies' activities in
Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, have come under CBI scanner, had
described the raids as a "large design aimed at destabilising
the only BJP government in the South".
The Reddy brothers had spearheaded a campaign for removal
of B S Yeddyurappa two months ago, but patched up later after
the central leadership's intervention.
PTI
First Published: Friday, December 11, 2009, 20:58