Karnataka: Missing BJP leader Janardhan Reddy appears for probe

Bellary’s mining baron and former Karnataka minister G Janardhana Reddy, who was missing for three days, appeared for questioning in Bengaluru in an alleged bribery case on Saturday, November 10.

The crime branch had issued a notice asking Reddy to appear before it on Sunday after conducting searches at his Bellary home on Friday.

Earlier today, in a video message, Reddy said he was not on the run, and rubbished reports that he was in Hyderabad.

"Now that the notice has been issued by the police, I have decided to appear before the Central Crime Branch today itself though the notice says I should appear on Sunday," Reddy said in the video.

According to the police, Syed Ahmed Fareed allegedly cheated around 15,000 people to the tune of ₹600 crore through his company Ambidant Marketing Finance Ltd by promising them 40-50% interest on investment. After a complaint was filed against him by some members of the public last year, raids had been conducted on his offices and residences by the Enforcement Directorate earlier this year and his bank accounts were frozen.

Bengaluru police commissioner T Suneel Kumar said on Wednesday that the city police’s Central Crime Branch had been conducting a parallel investigation into Fareed’s affairs, based on the complaints it had received.

“While the probe was going on, the officials came across a particular transaction of Rs 18 crore. Upon investigation it was found that the money was transferred from Ambidant to Ramesh Kothari, who runs a bullion business called Ambika Jewellers,”

They said, meanwhile, Fareed had met Reddy through Ali Khan requesting for help in bailing him out of ED the case, and ₹20 crore was demanded in the form of gold through a jeweller known to them in Bellary.

Detailing the investigation, the Commissioner said, during investigation CCB found a particular transaction of ₹18 crore being paid by Ambidant to one Ramesh Kothari, who runs Ambika Jewellers in Bengaluru.

Kothari on questioning said he had given 57 kg of gold to a jeweller named Ramesh, who runs Raj Mahal Fancy Jewellers in Bellary. Ramesh had claimed that the gold was handed over to Reddy's associate Ali Khan.

The development comes a day after Reddy's close confidant Sreeramula's sister J Shantha, a BJP candidate, lost in the by-polls from Bellary Lok Sabha constituency, considered a strong hold of the Reddy brothers.

The Congress won the seat breaking BJP's grip over Bellary since 2004.

However, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Alok Kumar said there was no political connection to the probe. He said his team had been working on the case for the last 20 days, but waited till November 3, for the bypolls to be over for further action, so that it was not politicised.

Reddy, a Minister during the previous BJP rule, had been arrested by the CBI in 2011 over alleged multi-crore illegal mining scam and granted bail three years later.Kumar said.