Iron ore export scam: Congress MLA`s son arrested

Bangalore: The son of a ruling Congress MLA and his close relative were on Monday arrested by CBI in connection with an alleged iron ore export scam.

Vivek Hebbar, son of Shivaram Hebbar and Managing Director of a logistics company, and Prakash Hegde were picked up from Hospet for questioning their alleged role in the illegal export of iron ore from Belekeri port from January 2009 to May 2010, CBI officials said. After questioning, both were taken to Bangalore and produced before the CBI Court, which remanded them in the agency custody till December 27, they said. CBI had earlier arrested four MLAs - Anand Singh (BJP), B Nagendra and Satish Sail, both independents, and Suresh Babu of BSR Congress headed by former minister B Sriramulu, a close aide of mining baron and former minister Janardhana Reddy, in connection with the scam. The scam was exposed by former Karnataka Lokayukta N Santosh Hegde who had in his report said 7.74 million tonnes of iron ore were illegally exported between 2006-07 and 2010-11 from Belekeri port. While some of the accused are lodged in Parappana Agrahara jail in Bangalore, Reddy is in Chanchalguda jail in Hyderabad in connection with ongoing probe in Obalapuram Mining Company case. CBI has been investigating the case on the order of the Supreme Court which had set up the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to probe the issue.