HYDERABAD/BELLARY: The powerful Reddy brothers of Bellary woke up to a rude shock on Monday. A 10-member CBI team led by Joint Director VV Lakshminarayana, probing the case of illegal mining in Obulapuram, knocked on their doors in Bellary and arrested former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy and his brother-in-law and MD of the Obulapuram Mining Company BV Srinivas Reddy by 7.35 a.m.By 6 p.m, a CBI court in Hyderabad remanded the duo in judicial custody till Sept 19. The arrest was expected, but none had believed it would come so soon. The arrest, coming as it did, just a day after Janardhan Reddy’s confidant Sriramulu’s resignation as MLA, raised a few eyebrows. Sriramulu is rumoured to be mulling a new party with the help of Reddys. The CBI team, sources said, went to Bangalore on Sunday itself and arrived in Bellary early this morning. Janardhan Reddy and Srinivas Reddy were rushed to Hyderabad amid tight security, first to the CBI office and then, to the CBI court in Nampally. Another team of five officials continued searches at Reddy’s house, where they made several seizures (see box).Officials also questioned Janardhan Reddy’s wife Aruna Laxmi. After the court remanded them to judicial custody, the Reddys were shifted to the Chanchalguda Jail. The two were reportedly subjected to medical tests at the CBI office.The court gave the Reddys time till Sept 7 to file a counter to the CBI’s petition seeking 15-day custody of the duo. Emerging out of the court, Janardhan Reddy said: “Satya Meva Jayate”. The CBI took up investigation on the request of the state government during the tenure of former chief minister K Rosaiah to the Centre. Though the High Court gave an interim stay on Dec 14, 2009, the CBI got the stay vacated a year later. The CBI has collected 1,530 documents, 112 iron ore samples and examined around 85 witnesses or suspects. It told the government it would file file its report this month.
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